A2 Roadworks

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the effect on holiday and business traffic of the proposed roadworks to be carried out on the A2 at Boughton Green between 17 July and 8 September; and why it is necessary for the roadworks to be carried out at the peak of the summer holiday season.

Stephen Ladyman: When assessing the effect on holiday and business traffic of the essential safety works on the A2 at Boughton, the Highways Agency has considered average daily traffic flows and the variation of traffic flows in the peak and off peak hours.
	No material differences in average daily flows were found for July, August and September, with August flows being some 3 per cent. lower than July and September. This indicates that there is no significant summer peak in traffic flows.
	In terms of the variation of traffic flows in the peak and off peak hours, after 9.30 am until 4 pm one lane will provide sufficient capacity enabling one lane to be closed for the roadworks.

A3 Tunnel (Hindhead)

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish the Inspector's Report following the Public Inquiry into the A3 Tunnel at Hindhead; and whether he has accepted the recommendations of the Inspector.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 14 July 2006
	The Inspector's report will be published with the decision on the scheme taken jointly by the Secretary of State for Transport, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and the Secretary of Statefor Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. This willbe issued soon and convey whether the Inspector's recommendations have been accepted.

Car Journeys

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the Department's working assumption is about the number of car journeys a year is generated by each new house built.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 13 July 2006
	The number of car trips generated by each new house built is considered to be the same as the number of car trips generated by existing houses and, in Great Britain, is approximately nine trips per week.
	Underlying this average are trip rates for different categories of households using information from the National Travel Survey. A key determinant of trip rate is the number of cars owned and the location of the household. For an existing household in Kettering and Great Britain, the averages for households by numbers of cars owned is tabled as follows:
	
		
			  Number of cars owned by household  Average car trips made in Kettering per week  Average car trips made in Great Britain per week 
			 0 4 4 
			 1 7 8 
			 2 plus 14 15 
		
	
	It should be noted that households with no car can still have a car available to travel. For example, they can hire a car or have access to a company car.

Clifton Suspension Bridge

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to the Department was ofthe most recent inquiry into the toll levels on the Clifton Suspension Bridge; how many people lodged objections which led to the calling of that inquiry; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Since the coming into force of the Clifton Suspension Bridge Act 1952, toll charges at the Clifton Suspension Bridge have been revised three times: in 1976, 1982 and most recently 2003. The Department has no record of whether inquiries were held for the 1976 and 1982 toll revisions. The 2003 toll revision application received no objections and was considered and approved without the need for a local inquiry.
	The operator of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, the Trustees of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, applied to the Secretary of State Department in October 2005 for an order to revise the maximum tolls for using the bridge. Five objections have been received to this application. The trust has been advised that if it wishes to continue with its application, there will have to be an inquiry. No date, as yet, has been set for this inquiry.

High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the high occupancy vehicle lane on the M1 will be the  (a) outside and  (b) inside lane of the motorway.

Stephen Ladyman: It is currently anticipated that the dedicated high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes onthe M1 would be positioned in the outside lane,i.e. adjacent to the central reservation in both directions. However, the final decisions on how the proposals for HOV lanes at this location will be taken forward will be made only once the Highways Agency has completed further work to elaborate the detailsof the proposed scheme.

Highways Agency

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Transport to what extent the Highways Agencyuses minimum dig or trenchless technology when undertaking works for the installation of cables, ducts and underground services on the road network; and what technology it uses.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency's use of minimum dig or trenchless technology is limited to thrust-boring beneath carriageways where existing cross-carriageway ducts are unserviceable. When undertaking works for the installation of cables, ducts or underground services in the verges of its roads, it installs armoured cables or ducts in trenches in accordance with BS7671, at a sufficient depth to avoid cables or ducts being damaged by any reasonably foreseeable disturbance of the ground.

M6

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Transport whether he has granted funding to the Heysham M6 Link, subject to planning approval.

Stephen Ladyman: The Heysham scheme does not yet have scheme approval but Ministers have agreedwith the region's recommendation that it may receive funding in the next three years.
	The Department's provision of funding will, of course, be subject to the scheme securing all necessary statutory powers, demonstrating sufficient value for money, and being supported by a satisfactory business case in line with the departmental requirements.

Parliamentary Questions

Anne Main: To ask the Leader of the House if he will ensure that all Ministers comply with the Resolution of the House of 18 December 1972 as it applies to the timeliness of answers to parliamentary questions.

Jack Straw: All Ministers recognise the obligation, deriving from the decisions of the House of18 December 1972, that a written question tabledfor a named day should receive an answer on that day and an ordinary written question should receive a substantive response within a working week of it being tabled. I attach great importance to the timeliness of responses to parliamentary questions tabled in the House and, as I have indicated to the House, I have raised the matter directly with ministerial colleagues.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Wellingborough on 10 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1560W.

Prime Minister's Questions

Peter Bone: To ask the Leader of the House 
	(1)  how many Prime Minister's questions sessions there were in each year since 1990;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of Prime Minister's question sessions likely to be heldin 2006.

Jack Straw: The information is available by parliamentary session. The number of days on which oral questions to the Prime Minister were taken in each session is given in the following table. The figures for sessions for the period before 1997 to 98 are not comparable with those subsequently. The arrangements for Prime Minister's questions were changed at that time, with twice weekly fifteen minute slots being replaced by one weekly thirty minute slot so that no less time is spent in the Chamber. To make a more accurate comparison a table of the approximate hours involved is also given.
	
		
			  Before 1997 to 98 
			  Session  Number of sessions  Approximate number of hours involved  Total sittings days 
			 1989-90 62 15.5 167 
			 1990-91 61 15.25 160 
			 1991-92 (short session) 32 8 83 
			 1992-93 (long session) 89 22.25 240 
			 1993-94 59 14.75 154 
			 1994-95 65 16.25 159 
			 1995-96 61 15.25 146 
			 1996-97 (short session) 35 8.75 86 
		
	
	
		
			  After 1997 to 98 
			  Session  Number of sessions  Approximate number of hours involved  Total sittings days 
			 1997-98 (long session) 50 25 241 
			 1998-99 32 16 149 
			 1999-2000 35 17.5 170 
			 2000-01 (short session) 17 8.5 83 
			 2001-02 (long session) 42 21 201 
			 2002-03 37 18.5 162 
			 2003-04 36 18 157 
			 2004-05 (short session) 14 7 65 
		
	
	The number for the 2005-06 session so far (up to and including Wednesday 12 July) is 41 (20.5 hours). Given the planned dates for further sittings so far announced, four more Prime Minister's questions days can be expected up to the end of October. The number of such days for the remainder of the session, and for the beginning of the next session, will be dependent on the dates for prorogation and the Christmas recess.

Sitting Days

Peter Bone: To ask the Leader of the House 
	(1)  how many days the House sat in each year since 1990; and how many days were allocated to Private Members' business;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of days the House is likely to sit in 2006; and how many days are expected to be allocated for Members' Bills.

Jack Straw: The information is available by parliamentary Session. The number of days on which the House sat in each Session, together with the number of private Members' days, is given in the table. Private Members' days include days allocated to private Members' Bills and (up to 1993-94) balloted private Members' motions. (Balloted private Members' motions were ended after that Session, in favour of greater opportunities for Back-Bench adjournment debates).
	
		
			  Session  Private Members' days  Total sitting days 
			 1989-90 24 167 
			 1990-91 22 160 
			 1991-92(1) 12 83 
			 1992-93(2) 24 240 
			 1993-94 23 154 
			 1994-95 13 159 
			 1995-96 13 146 
			 1996-97(1) 7 86 
			 1997-98(2) 13 241 
			 1998-99 13 149 
			 1999-2000 13 170 
			 2000-01(1) 8 83 
			 2001-02(2) 13 201 
			 2002-03 13 162 
			 2003-04 13 157 
			 2004-05(1) 4 65 
			 (1) Short Session. (2) Long Session. 
		
	
	The number of sitting days for the 2005-06 Session up to and including 14 July is 182, of which 12 have been allocated to private Members' Bills. Given the planned dates for further sittings so far announced,21 more sitting days can be expected up to the end of October, of which one would be allocated to private Members' Bills. The number of sitting days for the remainder of the Session, and for the beginning of the next Session, will be dependent on the dates for prorogation and the Christmas recess.

Summer Recesses

Peter Bone: To ask the Leader of the House howmany days there were in the summer recess in eachyear since 1990.

Jack Straw: The total number of days (including weekends and bank holidays) between the rise of the House in July and the return in October in each year since 1990, excluding sitting days, was as follows:
	
		
			   Number of days 
			 1990 (1)78 
			 1991 80 
			 1992 (2)92 
			 1993 82 
			 1994 87 
			 1995 88 
			 1996 81 
			 1997 87 
			 1998 (3)77 
			 1999 83 
			 2000 86 
			 2001 (4)83 
			 2002 (5)81 
			 2003 (6)77 
			 2004 (7)70 
			 2005 75 
			 2006 (8)75 
			 (1 )Excludes sittings on 6 and 7 September. (2 )Excludes sittings on 24 and 25 September. (3) Excludes sittings on 2 and 3 September. (4 )Excludes sittings on 14 September and 4 and 8 October. (5) Excludes sitting on 24 September. (6 )Excludes September sitting 8 to 18. (7 )Excludes September sitting 7 to16. (8 )Planned.

Senior Staff Appointments

Andrew Dismore: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the procedure is for the appointment of  (a) the Clerk of the House and  (b) other senior House staff; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The Clerk of the House is appointed by the Crown under letters patent on the recommendation of the Speaker and the Prime Minister. The posts of Clerk Assistant and Serjeant at Arms are also Crown appointments. Under section 2(1) of the House of Commons (Administration) Act 1978, all other appointments (other than Mr. Speaker's personal staff) are made on the authority of the House of Commons Commission. The Commission has delegated these powers of appointment to Mr. Speaker in relation to posts of head of Department (and, in some cases, their deputies) and to heads of Department for the remainder. These appointments are madeon the basis of internal or external competition, as appropriate.

Dessie O'Hare

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Police Service of Northern Ireland has any outstanding warrants for the arrest of Dessie O'Hare.

Paul Goggins: PSN1 confirms that there are no formal investigations ongoing in relation to this individual although he remains the subject of attention by the PSNI Historical Enquiries Team (HET) and their ongoing process.

Medical Services

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Northern Ireland how many  (a) GP practices, (b) dental practices,  (c) ophthalmic practices and (d) pharmacies there were in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is detailed in the following table.
	
		
			  General practices, dental, ophthalmic and pharmaceutical practices in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years 
			  Number 
			   General practices  Dental surgeries  Ophthalmic practices  Pharmacies 
			 2001 (1)359 n/a n/a (1)509 
			 2002 (1)367 n/a (2)23 1 (1)508 
			 2003 (3)364 n/a (2)235 (1)509 
			 2004 (1)366 (3)362 (2)231 (1)511 
			 2005 (1)364 (1)363 (2)236 (1)510 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) October. (2) March. (3) November.  Source: Central Services Agency.

Medical Services

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many  (a) GPs,  (b) dentists,  (c) optometrists and  (d) pharmacies there were per 100,000 resident population in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years, (i) in total and (ii) broken down by health board.

Paul Goggins: The information requested for parts (i):  (a),  (b) and  (c) is detailed in Table 1. The information for (i):  (d) is not available as the Central Services Agency does not hold information on the number of pharmacists in Northern Ireland. The information requested for (ii):  (a) and  (b) is available for a restricted number of years and is detailed in Table 2 and 3 respectively. The information for (ii):  (c) and  (d) is not available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Total number of GPs, dentists and optometrists per 100,000 population in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years 
			   General practitioners  Dentists  Optometrists 
			 2001 (1)62.81 (2)239.84 (1)24.03 
			 2002 (1)63.42 (2)40.61 (1)26.23 
			 2003 (3)63.20 (2)40.88 (1)26.14 
			 2004 (1)63.03 (1)42. 80 (1)27.30 
			 2005 (1)63.38 (1)44.61 (1)29.35 
			 (1 )October. (2) April. (3) November.  Notes: 1. N1SRA population mid-year estimates have been used to calculate total number per 100,000 population. 2. Population mid-year estimate for 2004 was used for 2004 and 2005 calculation.  Source: Central Services Agency. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: GP's per 100,000 population in Northern Ireland by health board area in each of the last three years 
			  Number 
			   Eastern board  Northern board  Southern board  Western board 
			 November 2003 64.62 58.68 63.63 66.24 
			 October 2004 64.60 59.18 62.54 65.76 
			 October 2005 65.21 59.64 63.16 65.07 
			  Notes: 1. The number of GP's by board area is not available for 2001 and 2002. 2. NISRA population mid-year estimates have been used to calculate total number per 100,000 population. 3. Population mid-year estimate for 2004 was used for 2004 and 2005 calculation.  Source: Central Services Agency. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Dentists per 100,000 population in Northern Ireland by health board area in each of the last two years 
			  Number 
			   Eastern board  Northern board  Southern board  Western board 
			  October 
			 2004 48.8 44.0 44.5 40.5 
			 2005 50.6 44.7 48.2 41.9 
			  Notes: 1. The number of dentists by board area is not available for 2001, 2002 and 2003. Dentists can work in more than one board area, so may be counted more than once. 2. NISRA population mid-year estimates have been used to calculate total number per 100,000 population. 3. Population mid-year estimate for 2004 was used for 2004 and 2005 calculation.  Source: Central Services Agency.

Medical Services

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of  (a) GPs,  (b) dentists,  (c) optometrists and  (d) pharmacists were(i) male and (ii) female in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The information requested for general practitioners, dentists and optometrists is detailed in the following table. The information requested is not available for pharmacists.
	
		
			  Gender split of GP's, dentists and optometrists in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years 
			  Percentage 
			   GP  Dentists  Optometrists 
			   Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female 
			 2001 68 32 n/a n/a 46 54 
			 2002 66 34 n/a n/a 46 54 
			 2003 (1)66 (1)34 n/a n/a (2)49 (2)51 
			 2004 65 35 (1)58 (1)42 49 51 
			 2005 64 36 56 44 49 51 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) November. (2) July.  Notes: 1. The Central Services Agency does not hold this information on the number of pharmacists in Northern Ireland. 2. All figures are as at October unless otherwise indicated.  Source: Central Services Agency.

Medical Services

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of  (a) GPs,  (b) dentists,  (c) optometrists and  (d) pharmacists in Northern Ireland were (i) under 40, (ii) 40 to 54 and (iii) over 55 years in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The percentage of GP's (i) under 40, (ii) 40 to 54 and (iii) 55 and over for 2003, 2004 and 2005 is detailed in Table 1. This information is not available for 2001 and 2002.
	The percentage of dentists (i) under 40, (ii) 40 to 54 and (iii) 55 and over for 2004 and 2005 is detailed in Table 2. This information is not available for 2001, 2002 and 2003.
	The information requested for optometrists and pharmacists is not available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Percentage of GP's aged 'Under 40', '40 to 54' and '55 and over' in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years 
			   Under 40 (Percentage)  40 to 54 (Percentage)  55 and over (Percentage)  Total (Headcount) 
			 November 2003(1) 25.8 58.8 15.1 1,076 
			 October 2004 25.0 57.9 17.1 1,078 
			 October 2005 23.9 56.5 19.6 1,084 
			 (1 )0.3 per cent. unknown age group.  Note: The age of GP's is not available for 2001 and 2002.  Source: Central Services Agency. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Percentage of dentists aged 'Under 40', '40 to 54' and '55 and over' in Northern Ireland in each of the last two years 
			   Under 40 (Percentage)  40 to 54 (Percentage)  55 and over (Percentage)  Total (Headcount) 
			 2004 60.1 32.3 7.6 734 
			 2005 58.4 34.5 7.1 760 
			  Note: The age of dentists is not available for 2001, 2002 and 2003.   Source: Central Services Agency.

Medical Services

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many  (a) general practitioners,  (b) dentists,  (c) optometrists and  (d) pharmacists there were in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The information requested forgeneral practitioners, dentists, optometrists and the number of pharmacy contractors is detailed in the following table. The number of pharmacists is not available.
	
		
			  Total number of GPs, dentists, optometrists and pharmacy contractors in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years 
			   General practitioners  Dentists  Optometrists  Pharmacy contractors 
			 2001 1,061 (1)673 406 320 
			 2002 1,076 (1)689 445 297 
			 2003 (2)1,076 (1)696 445 284 
			 2004 1,078 732 490 282 
			 2005 1,084 760 511 267 
			 (1) April (2) November   Notes: 1. Central Services Agency does not hold information on the number of pharmacists in Northern Ireland. They hold information on the number of pharmacies and pharmaceutical contracts. 2. Figures are as at October unless otherwise indicated.  Source: Central Services Agency.

Police

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Northern Ireland how frequently the list of organisations of which members of the Police Service Northern Ireland must notify the authorities of their membership is reviewed.

Paul Goggins: Section 51(2) of the Police (NT) Act 2000 provides the Chief Constable with the power to give guidance to officers on any membership which a police officer believes he has, or not, of an organisation which may be regarded as affecting that officer's ability to discharge his duties effectively and impartially. 1 am advised by the PSNI that all General Orders are reviewed on an annual basis and that during this annual review, the list of organisations will also be revisited. This review of the list of organisations will then be placed before the Chief Constable's Forum for final decision.

Police

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who ordered the internal audit by his Department of the Northern Ireland Police Fund which followed the breach of security at the fund; whether they did so under instruction by a Government Minister; and whether the audit uncovered any  (a) systems failures and  (b) financial irregularities.

Paul Goggins: In respect of the alleged breach of security at the Northern Ireland Police Fund a full police investigation has been carried out within the fund. This investigation has now been completed and involved a comprehensive programme of interviews. No persons have been prosecuted as a result of this investigation. It would not be appropriate to comment on the operational detail of the investigation as such issues are a matter for the Chief Constable.
	The board of directors asked NIO internal audit to complete a review of the Northern Ireland Police Fund. All matters relating to the report are a matter for the fund.

Sectarian Attacks

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many sectarian attacks there were in each parliamentary constituency in Northern Ireland in each of the first four months of 2006.

Paul Goggins: Please note that the statistics have been split by police District Command Unit and have been provided for the months of Jan, Feb and Mar 2006 - April 2006 statistics are not yet available.
	
		
			   Violent crimes  Non-violent crimes 
			   January 2006  February 2006  March 20006  January to March 2006  January 2006  February 2006  March 2006  January to March 2006 
			 Antrim 3 2 I 6 1 3 0 4 
			 Ards 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 4 
			 East Belfast 1 2 0 3 4 2 0 6 
			 North Belfast 12 7 4 23 6 3 2 11 
			 South Belfast 2 0 5 7 1 0 1 2 
			 West Belfast 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Carrickfergus 4 1 0 5 0 0 1 1 
			 Castlereagh 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			 Larne 3 0 0 3 3 1 0 4 
			 Lisburn 2 3 0 5 0 0 1 1 
			 Newtownabbey 3 2 4 9 2 2 1 5 
			 North Down 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Armagh 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			 Ballymena 7 5 1 13 3 3 1 7 
			 Ballymoney 2 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 
			 Banbridge 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			 Coleraine 3 2 0 5 5 1 2 8 
			 Cookstown 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Craigavon 0 10 1 11 0 3 1 4 
			 Down 0 0 1 1 1 2 0 3 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Fermanagh 1 1 0 2 0 1 0 1 
			 Foyle 6 4 1 11 9 4 18 31 
			 Limavady 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Magherafelt 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 
			 Moyle 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Sex Offenders

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons on the Sex Offenders Register in Northern Ireland on licence have had their licence revoked in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: Probation Board for Northern Ireland have responsibility for the post-release supervision of persons subject to life licences and sex offender licences. In the last five years, three offenders on sex offender licences who were also subject to the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 were returned to prison for breach of licence conditions, two in 2001 and one in 2002. There have been no licences revoked in any of the last five yearsin respect of those subject to a life licence or sex offender licence who are also subject to the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

Abandoned Cars

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many abandoned cars were recorded in each local authority in England in each year since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: Numbers of abandoned vehicles for each local authority were primarily collected from 2000-01 to 2003-04 from the Defra Municipal Waste Management Survey and from WasteDataFlow in 2004-05. Results from authorities that responded have been placed in the Library of the House. Numbers were not collected prior to 2000-01 and results for 2005-06 are not yet available.

Energy Efficiency

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what targets have been set for Government departments' consumption of  (a) gas,  (b) electricity and  (c) all power from renewable sources.

Ian Pearson: On 12 June the Prime Minister and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (David Miliband) announced new sustainable operations targets for the Government estate. They replace the previous targets in the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate, and will drive improvements in the way Departments' manage their land and buildings sustainably.
	These new commitments do not set a separate target for gas and electricity consumption on the Government estate. Instead Government have set targets on overall energy efficiency, carbon emissions and carbon neutrality, all of which will apply from April 2006. A table of the new targets follows as annex A. In addition, the existing commitment that Government Departments should source at least 10 per cent. of their electricity from renewables will remain in place until 2008.
	Departmental performance against Government estate targets, including carbon emissions and energy efficiency, has been published in annual Sustainable Development in Government Reports. The last report, produced by the Sustainable Development Commission, the independent watchdog, was in December 2005. It covered the reporting period April 2004 to March 2005 and is available at: http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/watchdog.
	
		
			  Annex A: Targets for sustainable operations on the Government estate( 1) 
			  Priority area  Targets 
			  Climate change and energy  
			 Carbon emissions from offices Reverse the current upward trend in carbon emissions by April 2007 
			  Reduce carbon emissions by 12.5 per cent. by 2010-11, relative to 1999-2000 levels 
			  Reduce carbon emissions by 30 per cent. by 2020, relative to 1999-2000 levels 
			   
			 Carbon emissions from road vehicles Reduce carbon emissions from road vehicles used for Government administrative operations by 15 per cent. by 2010-11, relative to 2005-06 levels 
			   
			 Carbon neutral Central Government's office estate to be carbon neutral by 2012 
			   
			 Energy efficiency Departments to increase their energy efficiency per m2 by 15 per cent. by 2010, relative to 1999-2000 levels. 
			  Departments to increase their energy efficiency per m2 by 30 per cent. by 2020, relative to 1999-2000 levels 
			   
			  Sustainable consumption and production  
			 Waste arisings Departments to reduce their waste arisings by 5 per cent. by 2010, relative to 2004-05 levels 
			  Departments to reduce their waste arisings by 25 per cent. by 2020, relative to 2004-05 
			   
			 Recycling Departments to increase their recycling figures to 40 per cent. of their waste arisings by 2010 
			  Departments to increase their recycling figures to 75 per cent. of their waste arisings by 2020 
			   
			  Natural resource protection  
			 Biodiversity Departments to meet or exceed the aim of having 95 per cent. of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI's) in sole ownership or control in target condition by 2010 
			   
			 Water consumption Reduce water consumption by 25 per cent. on the office and non-office estate by 2020, relative to 2004-05 levels 
			  Reduce water consumption to an average of 3m(3) per person/year for all new office builds or major office refurbishments 
			   
			  Government to mandate Departments to adopt the Carbon Trust's Carbon Management Programme—involves the proactive management to the risks and opportunities relating to climate change mitigation 
			  The application of BRE's Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) excellent standards, or equivalent, to all new builds and major refurbishments 
			  Accepted elements from the Sustainable Procurement Task Force National Action Plan 
			  OGC's Property Benchmarking Scheme—aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of corporate estate management 
			  All Departments to have Environmental Management Systems based, or modelled upon, a recognised system 
			  Data collection and reporting—identification of core data to be reported against the new targets 
			  All Departments to encourage staff to take an active role in volunteering in the community 
			  All Departments to conduct sustainability appraisals of office relocations 
			   
			 Existing Sustainable Operational Commitments (to continue until completion) Departments to source at least-10 per cent. of-electricity from renewables (31 March 2008) 
			  Departments to source at least 15 per cent. of electricity from Combined Heat and Power (2010) 
			 (1) Vision for the Government estate A sustainably managed estate which is: modern, resource efficient, with low energy buildings; well conserved and managed land; efficient use of space and ways of working; and where the principles of sustainable development are embedded into our working practices.  Note: The above sustainable operational targets to apply for the reporting period April 2006-March 2007

Environmental Directives

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) letters of warning,  (b) infringement notices and  (c) prosecutions have been instigated by the European Commission against his Department since May 1997 in relation to environmental directives, including failure to meet transposition dates; and what the circumstances were of each case.

Ian Pearson: Defra was created in June 2001. Between 1 June 2001 and 30 June 2006 the Department was the lead Department for 60 environmental infringement proceedings initiated by the European Commission. The following table lists these by year:
	
		
			   Number 
			 1 June to 31 December 2001 10 
			 2002 7 
			 2003 20 
			 2004 12 
			 2005 4 
			 2006 7 
		
	
	A member state can be infracted for a number of different reasons falling into the following categories: late transposition, poor transposition and implementation issues. The infraction procedure begins with an initial pre-litigation stage, during which the Commission issues first a letter of formal notice (article 226 letter).
	A list of all infringements, including environmental ones, initiated by the European Commission against the UK can be found on the European Commission website at:
	http://ec.europa.eu/community_law/eulaw/index_en.htm-infractions

Greenhouse Emissions

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what mechanisms exist to ensure the accuracy of  (a) national and  (b) international reporting of greenhouse gas emissions.

Ian Pearson: Annex I Parties to the Kyoto Protocol are required to submit Greenhouse Gas Inventories to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) every year. These inventories are compiled using methodologies devised by the International Panel on Climate Change and agreed by the UNFCCC. Once submitted, the inventories are scrutinised by international experts to ensure their completeness and accuracy.
	In the UK, inventory data are subject to an audited quality control and assurance programme. This ensures that the data sources are reliable and quality checked, that the choice of methodologies is transparent, and that data are consistent over time, complete, comparable, and assessed for uncertainties. When required, methodological changes are made to take account of new data sources, new guidance fromthe IPCC, relevant work by other international organisations, new research, or specific research programmes sponsored by Defra. Such improvements to the methodology are applied retrospectively to ensure a consistent time series of emissions.
	Defra periodically tests the accuracy of key source sector estimates in the national inventory by undertaking independent peer review. Reviews completed to date include carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion and agriculture. Defra also funds independent verification of the reliability of the emissions estimates by combining measurements of the concentrations of selected greenhouse gases at Mace Head in Ireland and a model of atmospheric transport developed by the Met Office.

Methyl Bromide

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made in the UK towards the Montreal Protocol aim of phasing out the use of methyl bromide.

Ian Pearson: Under the Montreal Protocol, methyl bromide use was phased out in developed countries from 2005, except for quarantine and pre-shipment purposes, and critical uses agreed by the parties to the Protocol and (in the EU) licensed by the European Commission.
	In 2006, agreed UK critical uses amount to up to33 tonnes. This shows a significant downward trend of less than half the previous amount licensed for 2005 (some 70 tonnes). 2006 is the last year that methyl bromide will be used by the agricultural sector in soil. UK nominations of 11 tonnes for critical uses in 2007 continue the downward trend.
	Methyl bromide is an ozone depleting substance and the Government's policy is to support further critical uses only where lack of availability would cause significant market disruption and there are no technical or economically feasible alternatives.

Methyl Bromide

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department  (a) provides assistance for and  (b) promotes the development of alternatives to (i) sulphuric acid in the cultivation of potatoes and (ii) methyl bromide as a pesticide in agriculture.

Ian Pearson: The Department does not generally seek to find alternatives to specific uses of chemicals such as those listed, since this is a matter for the industry sectors concerned. However, it is funding a small number of projects, some jointly with industry, on the development of alternatives to methyl bromide, particularly in the horticulture sector.
	Additionally, our pesticides research and development programme includes alternative crop protection technologies projects which aim to support Government policy directed at the minimisation of conventional chemical pesticide use. Defra's Pesticides Safety Directorate administers a research budget of about £5.5 million per year, of which over £1 million is applied to support this objective.

Radioactive Waste

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter sent on 16 June 2006 to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on the future of Nirex and policy on the management of radioactive waste.

Ian Pearson: No. It is inappropriate to place private ministerial correspondence in the Library of the House.
	However, it might be helpful to explain and put into context the current role of Nirex in the management of radioactive waste.
	Responsibility for securing the safety of the public and the environment rests with the independent regulators—the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the environment agencies (the Environment Agency, EA, in England and Wales and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, SEPA, in Scotland).
	The nuclear operators are required to demonstrate to the regulators that the risks to the public and the environment from their activities, including the management of radioactive waste, are reduced to as low as reasonably practicable. In support of their safety cases for packaging and disposal of radioactive waste, the operators may seek advice from Nirex.
	Nirex is not a regulator. It is a company that is jointly owned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) that advises nuclear site operators on the preparation of the industry's safety case submissions to the regulators for the conditioning and packaging of waste.
	It is the independent regulators who take decisions on the acceptability of waste conditioning and packaging safety cases submitted to them. The environment agencies have teams that scrutinise Nirex's contribution to the safety case process. It is regulators who are responsible for applying and determiningthe statutory safety requirements of the Nuclear Installations Act 1965 and the Radioactive Substances Act 1993.
	The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is the strategic UK-wide body with responsibility for securing the clean up and decommissioning of public sector nuclear liabilities and the treatment, storage, transportation and disposal of hazardous materials including radioactive waste. It is the owner of most of the UK's radioactive waste.
	The majority of Nirex's current funding—over90 per cent.—comes from a contract with the NDA. The remainder comes through an agreement withthe Ministry of Defence (MoD). The company also receives payment from nuclear site operators for supply of their waste conditioning and packaging advice.

Rights of Way

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many rights of way have been  (a) reopened and (b) established in (i) Southend-on-Sea, (ii) Essex and (iii) Hertfordshire in the last five years for which figures are available.

Barry Gardiner: Responsibility for improving the rights of way network, and ensuring that routesare properly recorded and maintained, rests with individual local highway authorities.
	Data on how many new routes have been re-opened and established is not collected centrally by Defra.

Rural Life

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his most recent assessment is of the rate of closure of  (a) village halls,  (b) village shops and  (c) rural pubs since 1980; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: Information from Action for Communities in Rural England shows that, of the 9,000 village halls on Rural Community Council databases, just five are known to have closed in the past few years. The Department does not hold information on the rate of closure of village shops or rural pubs.
	The Government recognise that village halls, shops and pubs can all play a part in helping rural communities to thrive. That is why, among other things, we have extended mandatory rate relief at50 per cent. to include sole village public houses, petrol stations and village food shops under the village shop scheme.

Special Protection Areas

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent guidance English Nature has published on  (a) mitigation and  (b) avoidance measures in relation to special protection areas; and what plans it has for publishing future guidance.

Barry Gardiner: English Nature has published a draft Thames Basin Heaths Delivery Plan. This is designed to provide a means of mitigating against the potential adverse effects of increased housing around the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area.
	Government Office for the South East is working with English Nature to explore the practicalities and flexibilities in the delivery plan approach, and to provide advice to local authorities and developers.
	The delivery plan, along with other research evidence, will be considered at the Examination in Public of the South East Plan in November.

Afghanistan

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which civilian individuals on the ground are responsible for overseeing reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan.

Hilary Benn: Afghanistan is a sovereign nation which has an elected Parliament and President. The Government of Afghanistan is therefore the civilian body responsible for overseeing the reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. The Afghanistan Compact signed at the London Conference in January 2006, commits the Government of Afghanistan to lead on the reconstruction process in Afghanistan over the next five years, with support from the international community. The Government's plans are described in the interim Afghan National Development Strategy (iANDS), also launched at the London Conference. The UN has a Special Representative of the Secretary General in Kabul (currently Tom Koenigs). It is the responsibility of this person to help co-ordinate the international community's efforts. He is the joint chair of the Joint Co-ordination Monitoring Body (JCMB) which helps to make sure progress is seen against the targets set in London.
	As far as DFID civilian staff are concerned, I refer the hon. Member for Mid Norfolk to the response I gave on 10 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1405W to the hon. Member for the Forest of Dean(Mr. Harper).

African Aid

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on progress in providing aid to Africa following the G8 Gleneagles Summit in 2005.

Hilary Benn: Important progress has been made since Gleneagles on delivering G8 commitments to support development in Africa. This includes an increase in international aid of around 25 per cent. between 2004 and 2005 to over $100 billion, putting us well on track to reach the target of $130 billion in global aid by 2010. Half of this extra money will go to Africa, so that by 2010 it will be receiving $50 billion a year—double the aid it received in 2004. DFID met its pledge to provide £1 billion in aid to Africa through its country programmes in 2005-06 and is on track to double its bilateral programme by 2010-11. The Gleneagles pledges represent a long-term agenda and the Government remains committed to ensuring that all 2005 promises are fully implemented.

Child Labour

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what work his Department is undertaking on  (a) reducing and  (b) preventing child labour in (i) Asia , (ii) Africa and (iii) Latin America.

Gareth Thomas: The UK is committed to the elimination of child labour wherever it occurs. DFID is funding projects worth more than 20 million around the world, which aim to address the plight of those children already in work as well as to prevent further child labour. Many of these projects also tackle the trafficking of children for work. In addition, many of DFID's broader poverty reduction programmes are also helping to get children out of work and into education and are protecting children from having to take on harmful jobs to survive.
	In Asia, DFID is supporting the work of the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC). For example, in India, DFID is currently providing over 2.5 million for their programme in the state of Andhra Pradesh. DFID is also providing nearly 9 million to the ILO's programme in the Greater Mekong Region to end trafficking of women and children for exploitative labour.
	In Africa, DFID is supporting many countries to provide free universal primary education. Many of the most vulnerable cannot afford school fees or seek work to pay for schooling. In Tanzania, DFID is providing 110 million this year for the implementation of the Government's national strategy for growth and poverty reduction. Child labour is a key challenge that this strategy seeks to address and free primary education is part of the response.
	In Latin America, support is focused on street children. In Brazil, Peru, and Central America, DFID has funded projects aimed at reducing the numbers of children living and working on the streets by providing them with realistic alternatives.

Child Labour

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with  (a) the UN and  (b) UK-based humanitarian charities about child labour in developing countries.

Gareth Thomas: The UK is in regular contact with both the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and UNICEF, the lead UN agencies working to eliminate child labour. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Department of International Development's recent discussions with these organisations have not focused specifically on child labour. DFID is a major funder of both organisations, with a current commitment of over 15 million to the ILO's programmes to combat child labour andthe trafficking of children. DFID also provided19 million in core funding to UNICEF programme in 2005, including support to their Child Protection programme.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development regularly holds meetings with UK based non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which often have issues relating to child labour on their agenda. However there has been no specific discussion of child labour in recent meetings. DFID funds a number of UK based NGOs, including Save the Children Fund (SCF) and World Vision, to implement projects addressing child labour issues, including trafficking and street children.

Child Labour

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate his Department has made of the extent of child labour in  (a) Mexico,  (b) Belize,  (c) Argentina,  (d) Bolivia,  (e) Brazil,  (f) Chile,  (g) Columbia,  (h) Cuba,  (i) Ecuador,  (j) El Salvdor,  (k) Guatemala,  (l) Guyana,  (m) Haiti,  (n) Honduras,  (o) Nicaragua,  (p) Panama,  (q) Paraguay,  (r) Peru,  (s) Surinam,  (t) Uruguay and  (u) Venezuela; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: DFID uses data from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and UNICEF to estimate the extent of child labour. Between 2000 and 2004, the number of children at work in Latin America and the Caribbean fell by two thirds. Just over 5 per cent. of children in the region are now working. According to the ILO, the levels of child labour in Latin America and the Caribbean are now similar to those of some developed and transition economy countries.
	The datasets on child labour available from the ILO and UNICEF differ and are not available for all countries. The Statistical Information and Monitoring Programme from the ILO collate estimates on the number of working children based on national survey data. UNICEF estimates the percentage of children (aged five to 14) who are in child labour.
	The data available for the countries requested are as follows:
	
		
			   Data 
			 Mexico According to UNICEF, 16 per cent. of children aged 5 to 14 are involved in child labour. No data are available from the ILO 
			 Belize According to the ILO, 9,000 children between 5 and 17 years are working. No data are available from UNICEF 
			 Argentina No data available from either the ILO or UNICEF 
			 Bolivia According to the ILO there are 313,000 children between the ages of 7 and 17 in work. UNICEF estimates that 21 per cent. of children between the ages of 5 and 14 are working 
			 Brazil According to the ILO, there are 2.2 million child workers in Brazil. UNICEF estimates that 7 per cent. of children aged between 5 and 14 are involved in child labour 
			 Chile According to the ILO there are 196,104 working children between the ages of 5 and 17 in Chile. This figure represents approximately 5 per cent. of children. No data from UNICEF available 
			 Colombia According to the ILO, there are 1.5 million working children between the ages of 5 and 17 in Colombia. UNICEF estimates that 5 per cent. of children aged between 5 and 14 are involved in child labour 
			 Cuba No data from available from the ILO or UNICEF 
			 Ecuador UNICEF estimates that 6 per cent. of children aged between 5 and 14 are involved in child labour. No recent ILO data available 
			 El Salvador According to the ILO, there are 222,000 working children between the ages of 5 and 17. No data from UNICEF available 
			 Guatemala According to the ILO, there are 938,000 working children between the ages of 5 and 17. UNICEF estimates that 24 per cent. of children aged between5 and 14 are involved in child labour 
			 Guyana UNICEF estimates that 19 per cent. of children aged between 5 and 14 are involved in child labour. No data available from the ILO 
			 Haiti No data from either the ILO or UNICEF available 
			 Honduras According to the ILO, there are 356,000 working children between the ages of 5 and 17. No data from UNICEF available 
			 Nicaragua According to the ILO, there are 253,000 working children between the ages of 5 and 17. UNICEF estimates that 10 per cent. of children aged between5 and 14 are involved in child labour 
			 Panama According to the ILO, there are 48,000 working children between the ages of 5 and 17. No data from UNICEF available 
			 Paraguay UNICEF estimates that 8 per cent. of children aged between 5 and 14 are involved in child labour. No data available from the ILO 
			 Peru No data from UNICEF or the ILO available 
			 Surinam No data from UNICEF or the ILO available 
			 Uruguay No data from UNICEF or the ILO available 
			 Venezuela UNICEF estimates that 7 per cent. of children aged between 5 and 14 are involved in child labour

Departmental Staff (Sickness Absence)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2006,  Official Report, column 768W, on departmental staff, why no record is maintained of the number of periods of sick absence by staff of less than five days.

Gareth Thomas: Since October 2004, when an electronic absence recording system was introduced, records of sick absences have been held centrally by DFID. This has afforded better management control of frequent and long-term sick absences. However, we are still in the process of defining the types of reports we will require on a regular basis. To provide the information in the format requested requires intensive manual manipulation of the data. We have also changed the basis of recording working patterns from days to hours which compounds the problem of producing ad hoc reports. We are working with an external consultant towards implementing a simpler process for extracting information from existing systems, but we are unlikely to be able to produce the data until later this year.

Departmental Travel Costs

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to his Answer of 10 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1408W, on departmental travel costs, 
	(1)  what the average cost of flights was in each month; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to reduce the  (a) cost and  (b) number of internal flights for his staff; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what the total cost was of these flights in 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The average cost of flights in each month in 2005 was as follows:
	
		
			   Average cost () 
			 January 215.84 
			 February 222.83 
			 March 203.66 
			 April 241.70 
			 May 242.61 
			 June 231.66 
			 July 207.54 
			 August 227.53 
			 September 218.33 
			 October 239.41 
			 November 224.88 
			 December 122.87 
		
	
	DFID's domestic travel policies ensure that staff travel only when necessary, to minimise cost and environmental impact from carbon emissions. Only top management staff may buy business class tickets. However, DFID benefits from an arrangement usedby a number of Government Departments whereby travellers on flexible economy tickets may be upgraded to business class at no extra cost. We are keen to reduce the number of internal flights and time spent travelling. We instruct staff to consider whether meetingsare essential, and we have invested in modern communication systems including video conference facilities to reduce the need for travel.

Disability Policy

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to implement its public sector duty in respect of disability policy; and what steps are taken to include  (a) disabled people and  (b) their representative organisations in this process.

Gareth Thomas: DFID has started its preparations for the implementation of the Disability Equality Duty, which comes into effect on 1 December 2006. We are currently developing a DFID specific equalities screening tool, and an equalities impact assessment tool, to allow for the effective identification and assessment of policies and functions relevant to the Disability Equality Duty.
	We will shortly be mapping out our Disability Equality Scheme and preparing our Disability Action Plan. At this stage we will involve disabled peoples' organisations as well as development organisations with a disability focusboth in the UK and in our partner countries.
	DFID is already taking a number of steps to address disability issues in its approach to development. For example, DFID commissioned a Disability Knowledge and Research programme, and we have since been adopting a twin track approach to disability research. This involves mainstreaming disability into existing research initiatives and working directly towards the establishment of an emancipatory model of research with an umbrella Disabled Peoples' Organisation in Southern Africa.
	DFID is also consulting disabled peoples' organisations, and development organisations with a disability remit, about the development of a good practice note for its staff on Inclusive Development. This will have a strong focus on the involvement of disabled people and their representatives in partner countries to ensure that disability issues are taken into account across DFID's programmes.

Disabled Children

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of Statefor International Development 
	(1)  how much his Department has allocated to ensure that children with disabilities in developing countries receive an education in each of the last five years; and how much he plans to allocate for this purpose over the next three years;
	(2)  how much his Department has spent on ensuring schools in developing countries have adequate facilities to meet the needs of children with disabilities in each of the last three years.

Hilary Benn: DFID has committed some 2 billion to education over the last 10 years. In April, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pledged to increase this sum to 8.5 billion over the next10 years and last month the Prime Minister promised to increase DFID's annual budget for education to1 billion a year by 2010.
	Most of this funding will be channelled to the governments of developing countries to invest in long term, comprehensive investment plans for the education sector. We will be working with our partners to ensure that access to education by children with disabilities is part of these plans. For example, in India, DFID has supported the District Primary Education Programme, which promotes inclusive education and has helped states integrate disabled children into mainstream schools.
	We will also continue to fund discrete civil society projects focused on children with disabilities. DFID has partnership agreements with a number of organisations that support disability-focused activities, such as World Vision, HelpAge International, Save the Children and VSO, among others. In addition, through our partner Action on Disability and Development, with whom we have a six-year Programme Partnership Agreement, we work to promote greater participation and inclusionof disabled people and their organisations in decision-making processes, particularly on partner governments' Poverty Reduction Strategies.

Disabled Children

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the percentage of children with disabilities in developing countries who receive an education.

Hilary Benn: The Global Monitoring Report, which we regard as the most reliable source of education data, estimates that only 2 per cent. of children with disabilities in developing countries are enrolled in school. Civil society organisations working in this field make similar estimates.
	All children, including those with disabilities or living in difficult circumstances, should have equal access to a good quality basic education. DFID is committed to working with the Governments of developing countries towards the education of all children, including those with disabilities.
	DFID's policy paper 'Reducing poverty by tackling social exclusion', which has been deposited in the Libraries of the House, sets out our broad based approach to tackling social exclusion across all sectors. The paper outlines how DFID will build on the work that is already under way and some practical actions that DFID is taking to tackle social exclusion and make a real difference to the lives of excluded people.

Fast Track Initiative

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development in what ways his Department is supporting the Fast Track Initiative for education in developing countries.

Hilary Benn: The UK is supporting the Fast Track Initiative (FTI) as part of our overall approach to speeding up progress towards primary education for all children by 2015. Earlier this year, I announced an additional UK contribution of 100 million to theFTI Catalytic Fund, bringing our total support to 150 million. Our contribution over the next twoyears will cover nearly a quarter of the funding gap in the FTI.
	In addition, the UK is calling for other donors, especially G8 countries, to increase their support for an expanded FTI. We have urged other G8 countries to increase their support to education within the FTI framework, either directly through the FTI Catalytic Fund or by increasing their support for education in FTI endorsed countries.

Health Services

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on health services development in developing countries in each year since 1997, broken down by country.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 3 July 2006
	I attach details of our bilateral general health sector spend by country for the financial years 1997-98 to 2004-05. This totalled nearly 267 million in financial year 2004-05. We are still in the process of validating expenditure data for 2005-06 and cannot release this under National Statistics Protocols.
	DFID also supports work to improve health through our regional and central programmes (including research programmes) that complement the work of our country programmes. In 2004-05, this additional support brought our total bilateral spend on the health sector to some 363 million.
	In addition, we provide funding to UN agencies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF, and bodies such as the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria, which are all primarily concerned with helping countries improve their health services. In 2004-05, expenditure on multilateral organisations that have a significant focus on health was 108.6 million.
	DFID also provides general Poverty Reduction Budget Support to several developing countries to help build basic services. Some of this funding goes on health services, but is not captured within our sector specific spending figures which therefore somewhat underestimate our overall contribution to improving health in developing countries.
	
		
			  DFID bilateral spend on health 1997-98 to 2004-05 
			  GBP  
			  Country  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			 Afghanistan 200,000  132,167   
			 Albania 38,930 188,398 151,338 107,814 296,881 
			 Algeria 4,362 
			 Angola 1,274,663 963,376 617,035 257,381 29,829 
			 Anguilla 8,201 77,665 111,147 83,808 248,543 
			 Antigua and Barbuda 118 33,787 576,013 529,333  
			 Armenia, Republic of  8,612 110,163 100,000  
			 Azerbaijan, Republic of 12,926  40,000 40,000  
			 Bahamas  
			 Bangladesh 7,864,076 10,576,683 12,146,258 18,203,254 16,794,134 
			 Barbados 11,755 3,332
			 Belarus, Republic of  4,800 4,772 14,552 15,185 
			 Benin, Peoples Republic  87,952 81,647 8,316  
			 Bolivia 604,453 808,630 1,333,854 2,300,908 3,188,656 
			 Bosnia 245,320 427,928 613,522 243,557 77,457 
			 Botswana 16,394 27,960 32,307 18,155 14,269 
			 Brazil 812,485 625,719 754,713 746,557 1,192,809 
			 Bulgaria 52,473 
			 Burkina Faso 84,602 134,980 70,775 25,371 29,986 
			 Burma 17,379 262,095 175,915 99,252 4,144 
			 Burundi  
			 Cambodia 2,306,696 2,485,202 2,116,258 1,899,004 1,718,249 
			 Cameroon 18,946 34,690 70,296 12,871  
			 Caribbean 109,216 136,977 254,216 74,452 415,141 
			 Chile 164,374 322,899 145,625   
			 China 144,798 471,529 1,895,663 2,681,681 3,784,647 
			 Colombia 14,753 69,324 61,014 43,703 4,405 
			 Congo, Dem Republic 41,278 52,545 141,460 49,721  
			 Congo, Peoples Republic 23,005 6,018 23,540   
			 Croatia 15,952 42,657 84,418 5,863 6,719 
			 Cuba 111,401 66,634 49,094 87,480 49,038 
			 Cyprus   538   
			 Dominican Republic 17 
			 Ecuador 76,096 90,242 26,179 114,481 82,837 
			 Egypt, Arab Republic 10,559 
			 El Salvador 49,340 107,371 75,788 115,745 97,469 
			 Eritrea  
			 Estonia 342 
			 Ethiopia 444,264 267,151 241,957 212,408 9,326 
			 Fiji 88,705   194  
			 Gambia, The 298,553 318,524 99,034 183,185 276,647 
			 Georgia 110,081 134,189 183,697 293,871 615,553 
			 Ghana 3,533,964 9,941,984 6,165,425 8,570,308 11,414,003 
			 Guatemala 143,502 96,000 96,400 37,933 54,159 
			 Guinea   64,825 68,648 31,501 
			 Guyana 183,345 131,930 61,102 17,432 3,653 
			 Haiti21,530 71,951 
			 Honduras   126,802 152,961 122,604 
			 Hong Kong 5,325 809
			 Hungary 4,463 24,679 61,873 90,540 114,898 
			 India 21,351,855 20,295,078 35,486,879 30,586,585 29,560,090 
			 Indonesia 11 164,453 32,583 38,198 118 
			 Iraq 368,000  530,582   
			 Jamaica  
			 Kazakhstan, Republic of 453,362 270,565 258,822 420,692 322,795 
			 Kenya 4,372,218 9,884,658 7,524,589 8,008,104 9,151,998 
			 Kyrgyzstan, Republic of 99,412 157,066 341,676 550,017 446,835 
			 Laos 222,058 192,878 61,896 68,893 66,758 
			 Lesotho 233,911 142,080 220,406 129,886 74,000 
			 Liberia  173,244 393,721 1,136,057 362,107 
			 Madagascar  
			 Malawi 4,857,793 3,392,773 6,995,995 11,888,179 6,892,694 
			 Malaysia -3,250,000  25,016 26,877 17,626 
			 Mali 92,986 30,194 38,609 24,565 79,536 
			 Malta 18,045 20,972 20,785 15,170 1,695 
			 Mauritius 42,149 22,884 18,338 4,815  
			 Mexico 182,452 413,926 310,896 142,357 55,709 
			 Middle East 29,847 40,863 32,134 32,294  
			 Moldova, Republic of 7,524 2,653   11,960 
			 Montserrat 11,008,453 8,950,343 8,770,595 4,117,418 644,272 
			 Mozambique 596,329 547,725 613,395 8,119,134 8,640,202 
			 Namibia 693,694 329,226 316,170 577,113 410,039 
			 Nepal 1,666,631 2,582,387 2,038,442 3,646,826 7,256,920 
			 Nicaragua 350,661 214,310 365,931 228,749 89,580 
			 Niger 60,000 89,842 100,000 100,000 78,210 
			 Nigeria 4,310,965 6,244,925 7,125,469 6,844,552 7,507,481 
			 Pakistan 6,451,560 5,952,187 7,373,423 4,074,751 10,318,693 
			 Panama   18,255 1,473  
			 Papua New Guinea 44,066 30,933 17,886   
			 Peru 1,680,287 1,526,543 2,061,625 1,594,336 1,509,490 
			 Philippines 144,448 115,038 37,099 19,516  
			 Pitcairn Islands  
			 Romania 140,937 193,566 66,804 29,882 217,949 
			 Russian Federation 2,777,722 2,305,030 2,876,347 2,214,351 2,107,051 
			 Rwanda   261,679 34,223 23,364 
			 Senegal 23,470  44,806 118,988 147,442 
			 Serbia and Montenegro213,495 1,021,768 
			 Sierra Leone 74,752 743,429 1,397,690 1,332,327 1,378,128 
			 Slovak Republic 16,730 
			 Slovenia 1,501 
			 Solomon Islands 183,715 55,347 34,520 7,658 3,074 
			 Somali Democratic Republic  27,601 43,203 52,351 5,678 
			 South Africa, Republic of 3,946,036 6,026,802 4,594,120 5,965,406 3,573,262 
			 Sri Lanka 331,939 452,821 447,962 200,849 182,181 
			 St. Helena 578,808 492,616 478,522 355,793 852,514 
			 St. Lucia 248 
			 Sudan 27,883 151,609 107,182 140,092 143,580 
			 Swaziland 118,817 70,063 84,722 151,867 94,240 
			 Tajikistan, Republic of  10,409 20,000 60,396 30,780 
			 Tanzania 5,898,613 5,462,371 6,391,140 9,337,450 12,508,228 
			 Thailand 24,645 44,859 4,206   
			 Togo 80,207 124,147 114,375 172,767 47,285 
			 Tonga 12,430 14,290 5,570  5,337 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 4,251 
			 Tristan da Cunha 291,625 123,387 149,457 112,520 184,852 
			 Turkmenistan 48,597 100,047 30,000 30,747  
			 Turks and Caicos Islands 48 13,791 132,818 89,684 10,317 
			 Uganda 8,676,854 8,537,985 9,160,803 54,019,083 38,711,758 
			 Ukraine 62,533 18,931 209,095 112,379 52,141 
			 Uzbekistan, Republic of 33,449 93,772 248,572 262,906 254,740 
			 Vanuatu 10,223 
			 Vietnam 152,383 190,173 229,208 58,350 82,746 
			 West Bank and Gaza 368,541 543,481 1,515,131 1,916,678 1,751,244 
			 Windward Islands  17,686
			 Yemen, Republic of(1)  
			 Yugoslavia 43,070  5,350,846 1,187,375 300,000 
			 Zambia 4,432,521 3,607,646 3,498,394 4,949,194 813,859 
			 Zimbabwe 3,867,411 2,791,817 3,500,968 4,267,535 3,219,267 
			   
			 Totals 107,455,315 123,034,688 151,126,188 207,303,175 191,996,756 
		
	
	
		
			  Country  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  1997-2005 Total 
			 Afghanistan 71,913 160,023 63,657 627,760 
			 Albania 405,235 417,831 271,459 1,877,886 
			 Algeria4,362 
			 0Angola  34,800 422,970 3,600,054 
			 Anguilla 44,963 23,195 214,569 812,092 
			 Antigua and Barbuda 131,928   1,271,179 
			 Armenia, Republic of218,775 
			 Azerbaijan, Republic of92,926 
			 Bahamas 3,034 912  3,946 
			 Bangladesh 16,356,777 11,576,883 7,120,246 100,638,311 
			 Barbados15,087 
			 Belarus, Republic of 6,000 33,423 97,646 176,378 
			 Benin, Peoples Republic  54,426  232,341 
			 Bolivia 2,553,235 1,206,039 898,533 12,894,310 
			 Bosnia1,607,785 
			 Botswana 8,543   117,627 
			 Brazil 1,734,181 1,212,617 879,439 7,958,519 
			 Bulgaria52,473 
			 Burkina Faso 30,095 16,051  391,860 
			 Burma 3,581,449 2,868,746 4,154,258 11,163,239 
			 Burundi 
			 Cambodia 1,520,188 4,370,537 5,821,983 22,238,116 
			 Cameroon136,803 
			 Caribbean 166,757 478,902 1,008,116 2,643,776 
			 Chile632,899 
			 China 11,962,737 9,151,283 9,156,735 39,249,073 
			 Colombia 2,238   195,437 
			 Congo, Democratic Republic 274,251 2,317,507 5,815,521 8,692,283 
			 Congo, Peoples Republic52,563 
			 Croatia 115,872 18,128  289,610 
			 Cuba 65,160 66,204 37,522 532,532 
			 Cyprus538 
			 Dominican Republic17 
			 Ecuador 84,722   474,557 
			 Egypt, Arab Republic10,559 
			 El Salvador 150,942 84,448 2,507 683,610 
			 Eritrea  500,000  500,000 
			 Estonia342 
			 Ethiopia 62,789 3,905,402 3,901,535 9,044,831 
			 Fiji88,900 
			 Gambia, The 40,035 1,661  1,217,640 
			 Georgia 265,309 605,622 776,229 2,984,551 
			 Ghana 7,524,897 11,727,091 14,599,713 73,477,385 
			 Guatemala 73,490 65,738 14,354 581,575 
			 Guinea 311,251 59,835  536,060 
			 Guyana397,462 
			 Haiti 81,669 73,699  248,849 
			 Honduras 72,352   474,719 
			 Hong Kong6,134 
			 Hungary 94,053   390,506 
			 India 33,811,687 35,883,728 74,895,144 281,871,047 
			 Indonesia 2,310  75,932 313,606 
			 Iraq898,582 
			 Jamaica 12,239 730  12,969 
			 Kazakhstan, Republic of 259,405 147,270  2,132,910 
			 Kenya 15,139,169 10,417,915 17,665,328 82,163,979 
			 Kyrgyzstan, Republic of 273,549 329,441 524,263 2,722,258 
			 Laos 86,795 37,784  737,062 
			 Lesotho   339,516 1,139,800 
			 Liberia 37,893 586,419 836,521 3,525,962 
			 Madagascar 54,435 119,296  173,731 
			 Malawi 13,090,485 14,780,123 12,544,271 74,442,313 
			 Malaysia 6,551   -3,173,930 
			 Mali 24,716 138,485  429,091 
			 Malta 15,457 3,250  95,375 
			 Mauritius88,186 
			 Mexico 50,630 70,791 64,251 1,291,012 
			 Middle East135,138 
			 Moldova, Republic of  60,284 92,116 174,537 
			 Montserrat 814,059 229,599 11,121 34,545,859 
			 Mozambique 7,726,032 9,990,827 9,565,394 45,799,038 
			 Namibia 627,655 87,383  3,041,279 
			 Nepal 5,748,756 4,816,752 5,506,638 33,263,351 
			 Nicaragua 106,830 64,161 154,061 1,574,282 
			 Niger 21,790   449,842 
			 Nigeria 13,342,712 14,220,421 19,100,411 78,696,937 
			 Pakistan 5,710,661 19,763,895 18,454,129 78,099,299 
			 Panama19,728 
			 Papua New Guinea92,885 
			 Peru 191,750 224,531 831,523 9,620,084 
			 Philippines   81,604 397,705 
			 Pitcairn Islands   9,063 9,063 
			 Romania 263,865 187,055 86,563 1,186,620 
			 Russian Federation 5,520,263 5,746,922 2,819,130 26,366,816 
			 Rwanda 64,812 77,876 491,604 953,558 
			 Senegal 191,527 176,902 52,878 756,013 
			 Serbia and Montenegro 395,037 20,498  1,650,797 
			 Sierra Leone 1,470,743 2,474,677 410,592 9,282,338 
			 Slovak Republic16,730 
			 Slovenia1,501 
			 Solomon Islands 70   284,385 
			 Somali Democratic Republic 60,738 373,584 791,006 1,354,161 
			 South Africa, Republic of 4,962,862 5,849,554 6,881,227 41,799,268 
			 Sri Lanka 426,346 73,538 26,646 2,142,284 
			 St. Helena 681,089 1,061,986 983,638 5,484,965 
			 St. Lucia248 
			 Sudan 24,377 2,364,000 6,989,879 9,948,602 
			 Swaziland 68,483 11,516  599,707 
			 Tajikistan, Republic of 51,429 18,805  191,819 
			 Tanzania 12,893,487 6,082,347 1,835,021 60,408,657 
			 Thailand73,709 
			 Togo 219,672 196,555 36,626 991,634 
			 Tonga 12,928   50,555 
			 Trinidad and Tobago4,251 
			 Tristan da Cunha 163,781 12,029  1,037,651 
			 Turkmenistan 743   210,133 
			 Turks and Caicos Islands 8,882   255,539 
			 Uganda 20,107,168 31,750,624 3,124,761 174,089,035 
			 Ukraine 62,246 127,796 148,266 793,387 
			 Uzbekistan, Republic of 334,191 558,484 72,524 1,858,637 
			 Vanuatu10,223 
			 Vietnam 46,678 775,742 2,061,950 3,597,230 
			 West Bank and Gaza 1,900,907 2,192,092 1,086,903 11,274,976 
			 Windward Islands17,686 
			 Yemen, Republic of(1)  485,900 220,850 706,750 
			 Yugoslavia  36,534 488,240 7,406,064 
			 Zambia 9,824,217 6,610,710 4,692,756 38,429,297 
			 Zimbabwe 5,593,554 9,961,352 17,624,652 50,826,556 
			  
			 Totals 210,301,723 240,231,163 266,933,990  
			 (1) YAR to May 1990.   Note:Date 29 June 2006. Source:SRSG database DFID Bilateral and Broad Sector.

Inclusive Education

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development in what ways his Department is supporting  (a) inclusive education and  (b) inclusive education in teacher training in developing countries.

Hilary Benn: DFID is committed to inclusive education and teacher training related to this, being part of education sector investment plans. In addition, DFID provides targeted support; for example in Vietnam, DFID has co-financed with the Government of Vietnam, the World Bank and other donors the Primary Education for Disadvantaged Children programme, a 243 million project which was launched in October 2003 and includes a strong focus on inclusive education. In Kenya, DFID is supporting an innovative pilot project with Sightsavers and the Ministry of Education to provide assistive technology to all totally blind and severe low vision students at Kenyatta University and three Teachers Training Colleagues.

Iraq

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of the number of internally-displaced people in Iraq.

Hilary Benn: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) published figures in June 2006, which give an overall estimate of 1.3 million people internally displaced in Iraq.
	Of these, the IOM believe that nearly 100,000 people have been displaced in Iraq's central and southern governorates since the bombing of the shrine at Samara on 22 February.
	The IOM add that numbers are estimates only and are continually changing. More information and updates are available on the IOM website (http://www.iom.int).
	Since the 2003 conflict, DFID has provided85 million humanitarian assistance for Iraq, to help avert a major humanitarian crisis and to assist in the restoration of essential services. DFID has also contributed 32 million to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement in Iraq, and provided7.2 million to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for humanitarian work, including work to assist displaced people.

Iraq

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the availability of medicine in hospitals in Iraq.

Hilary Benn: In 2003, following increasing concerns regarding drug shortages in Iraq, the World Health Organisation (WHO) set up a task force to look at of the problem.
	Since then the WHO have been working with the Ministry of Health in Iraq to improve drug supply systems. In addition to training staff, the WHO is working with Iraqis to build new systems, monitor and plan the supply of essential drugs, establish quality control, and assist emergency planning. This has included direct supply of some essential medicines to Iraq.
	Shortages remain and the WHO advise that the national drug supply management system is still in need of technical and logistical assistance.
	DFID has given most of its assistance to the Iraqi health sector through financial contributions to international organisations, including the WHO, that have particular expertise in health. These contributions include:
	5 million to the WHO, which has helped to fund the delivery of emergency medical supplies, supported clinics and hospitals in Baghdad and Basra, and supports the Iraqi Government's Health Sector Working Group. More information can be found at: http://www.who.int/en
	32 million to the International Red Cross for immediate humanitarian assistance
	70 million to the United Nations and World Bank multi-donor trust funds for Iraq. These trust funds finance reconstruction in a number of areas including health. The UN trust fund has approved 10 health and nutrition projects, in total valued at $96 million. The World Bank trust fund also has a $25 million health rehabilitation project which finances priority emergency services, including basic medical equipment and essential drugs. More information on both trust funds can be found at: http://www.irffi.org

Kosovo and Somalia (Aid)

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid his Department  (a) has given in each of the last three financial years and  (b) plans to give in each of the next three financial years to (i) Kosovo and (ii) Somalia; and what percentage (A) was and (B) is planned to be allocated (1) as bilateral aid, (2) as multilateral aid via the EU, (3) as multilateral aid via the UN, (4) as multilateral aid via Bretton Woods institutions and (5) through non-governmental organisations and other voluntary and charity sector organisations.

Gareth Thomas: In the three financial years from 2002-03, DFID spent 3.1 million, 2.5 million and 2.12 million in Kosovo, all on technical assistance. Our allocation for 2005-06 was 2.7 million. Expenditure figures are being finalised. We intend to provide approximately 3 million in 2006-07 and expect this level to continue for the next two financial years. Virtually all EC support to Kosovo is given through the European Agency for Reconstruction which provided 63 million in 2003, 73 million in 2004 and77 million in 2005. The UK's share of this assistance is 19 per cent. Data for future years is not available. We do not have disaggregated data for expenditure on Kosovo by UN agencies and the World Bank.
	DFID's programme of funding for Somalia for the last three financial years and by percentage is set out in the following table: Official figures for the financial year 2005-06 have yet to be published but the allocation was provisionally 13.2 million. Planned programme allocations for the next two financial years' are as follows:
	
		
			million 
			 2006-07 15.5 
			 2007-08 21 
		
	
	It is currently not possible to disaggregate spending to institutions as our programme is developing in light of the ongoing Joint Needs Assessment.
	Future allocations beyond 2007-08 will be announced next year following completion of the current Spending Round.
	
		
			  DFID Bilateral Aid and Imputed UK Share of Multilateral Aid to Somalia 
			   million 
			   Total DFID Bilateral Programme  Percentage  Imputed UK share via EC  Percentage  Imputed UK share via UN  Percentage  UK share via WB  Percentage  Total 
			 2002-03 3.1 52 1.9 32 0.9 16 0.0 0 5.9 
			 2003-04 4.0 53 2.8 36 0.8 11 0.0 0 7.6 
			 2004-05 5.3 56 3.6 38 0.6 6 0.0 0 9.5 
			  Note: Imputed multilateral shares are available by calendar year only so these taken as proxy for financial years. Date: 10 July2006The majority of our bilateral aid in 2002-03 and 2003-04 was channelled through either non-governmental organisations or humanitarian agencies Source: Statistics on International Development 2005 and Imputed Multilateral Shares

Oxfam Offices (Darfur)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the implications of the decision of Oxfam to close two of its offices in Darfur because of the lack of security there; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: We share Oxfam's concern that the declining security situation in one area of North Darfur has forced them to close two of their local offices there. They hope their withdrawal will only be temporary, and are doing everything they can to reduce the humanitarian impact. Part of Oxfam's work is building local capacity to manage emergency water and sanitation systems, and they are confident that the water supply will not deteriorate significantly in the immediate term.
	We continue to press all parties in Darfur to implement the May 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) and the 2004 N'Djamena cease-fire to which the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) as a whole and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) agreed.

Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what UK Government representation there is at the Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility; what UK involvement there is in its decision-making; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of  (a) the value for money supplied from UK public funds of the Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility and  (b) whether the facility provides quality development assistance which has positive impacts on citizens in developing countries by helping to relieve poverty; and on what evidence those assessments are based;
	(3)  when the Government last reviewed their involvement in the Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility; and what the results were of the review;
	(4)  what recent assessment he has made of the  (a) role and  (b) value of the consensus-building activities of the Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  what the timetable is for decision-making on the annual allocation of funds to the Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility; and what public consultation will take place prior to any decision on this allocation.

Hilary Benn: Improving infrastructure is essential for achieving economic growth in developing countries. There is also a pressing need to increase the efficiency of infrastructure to give greater access to the poor and better value for money. Current investment flows are insufficient to fund these additional needs and the public sector alone cannot bridge the financing and efficiency gaps. A significant contribution from the private sector will be required. However, attracting private capital and participation is difficultaccording to World Bank figures, private investment in developing country infrastructure fell from US$ 49.6 billion in 1997 to US$ 12.5 billion in 2003.
	Among the main constraints to successful private sector participation in infrastructure are the lack of appropriate policies, laws, regulations and institutions and the weak capacity of the public sector to effectively manage private sector involvement. The PPIAF is a global technical assistance facility managed by the World Bank to address these constraints and, where requested to do so by developing country governments, facilitate and, where appropriate, raise the quality of private sector involvement in infrastructure. The PPIAF is a good example of successful donor harmonization in development. It is supported by 14 donors with a wide range of skills, knowledge and experience. As of April 2006, it had approved $US 108.7 million funding for 495 activities in 101 countries. This funding mobilised an additional US$ 59.8 million co-financing from governments and other donors.
	A particular strength of the PPIAF is its open and transparent systems of governance. These include procedures governing the application for and allocation of activity funds. As a partner in a multilateral facility, DFID abides by the endorsed systems and governance arrangements.
	DFID fully endorses the PPIAF's objective to help developing countries to improve the quality of their infrastructure to the benefit of the poor through effective public-private partnerships. In practice, this is largely achieved by helping governments improve their policies, laws, regulations and institutions (their enabling environment). Our other objectives are to encourage greater donor coordination in designing solutions to meet the demands of developing countries, reducing transaction costs for developing countries and effective dissemination of lessons learned.
	DFID does not earmark its contribution to the PPIAF. Funding is pooled with that of other donors. The breakdown of total PPIAF expenditure in US$ by sector for each of the last three years is provided in the table. Future allocations will depend on demand from governments of developing countries.
	
		
			   2003  2004  2005 
			  Energy
			 US$ 792,010 2,229,500 3,663,675 
			 Percentage 6 16 21 
			  Water
			 US$ 3,452,122 2,700,118 3,171,640 
			 Percentage 34 19 18 
			  Telecom
			 US$ 2,745,040 1,536,218 796,600 
			 Percentage 19 11 5 
			  Transport
			 US$ 3,624,750 1,701,270 3,361,993 
			 Percentage 25 12 19 
			  Multi-sector
			 US$ 3,690,383 6,053,654 6,409,295 
			 Percentage 26 43 37 
			  Total
			 US$ 14,304,305 14,220,760 17,403,203 
			 Percentage 100 100 100 
		
	
	As a partnership arrangement, the PPIAF is jointly governed. The PPIAF has four policy and administrative organs. DFID is represented on the first two:
	The Program Council is the governing body of the PPIAF, composed of representatives of the 14 donors contributing resources to the PPIAF, and chaired by the World Bank. The Program Council, which meets once a year around June time, is responsible for defining programme policies and priorities, approving an annual work plan and financial plan, reviewing PPIAF performance and overseeing other PPIAF organs.
	The Donor Steering Group provides strategic direction to the Program Council. Membership of this group is on a voluntary basis and decided in consultation with the full Program Council.
	The Technical Advisory Panel (TAP), comprises six international experts, it provides independent advice on strategy and evaluates the impact of the PPIAF programme by carrying out evaluations of a sample of PPIAF projects.
	The PPIAF Program Management Unit (PMU) is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the facility with a focus on reviewing proposals, arranging delivery of PPIAF programmes and activities, and proposing and administering the work plan and budget.
	Further details on these organs and the PPIAF governance structure are provided in the PPIAF Program Charter, dated May 2001, as amended from time to time, available from its website:
	www.ppiaf.org
	All project proposals are assessed for value for money and their potential for impact by the PPIAF. Once approved, all activities follow World Bank procurement rules that require open and transparent competition to ensure value for money. A sample of activities are systematically evaluated by the Technical Advisory Panel of independent experts that reports to the Programme Council. PPIAF evaluations have confirmed that 84 per cent. of its activities have satisfactorily achieved their original objectives.
	In 2004, PPIAF donors also commissioned an independent evaluationthe 'Strategic Review', of the first five years of PPIAF's operations. The objective was to evaluate PPIAF's progress against its original objectives and identify ways for improving its performance. The report, issued in the final quarter of 2004, was very positive, concluding that the PPIAF is making an important contribution to development.
	A number of recommendations were made that the PPIAF has since implemented. The recommendations included strengthening the strategic direction of the programme; increasing stakeholder involvement in the Program Council, more focus on outcomes ratherthan outputs; enhancing PPIAF's identity as an autonomous multi-donor facility and improving impact measurement.
	Changes facilitated by the PPIAF often take a few years to deliver the anticipated improvements to the enabling environment. This has made it difficult to assess direct poverty impact to date. Improving impact measurement is an issue that is currently being addressed. One proposal is that PPIAF activity should be more closely anchored to planned infrastructure projects. Further work is in hand to gauge the impact of PPIAF activity on the International Financial Corporation's national 'doing business' ratings that address various aspects of the enabling environment.
	Country-specific activities may be undertaken only where governments seek the assistance of the PPIAF.
	Consensus building is essential if reforms are to be successful. Governments are responsible for leading the process. The PPIAF has played an important supporting role. For example, the PPIAF has supported the development of a series of training courses on utility regulation and finance that have been targeted at key stakeholder groups including Ministers and senior Government officials, journalists and consumer associations. The aim of the training courses is to equip stakeholders with a sound knowledge on which to appraise reforms. Two training workshops have also been held for stakeholders. The first workshop was held in South Africa in June 2005 and the second was held in Costa Rica in February 2006. Feedback provided to PPIAF on the workshops has been very positive.
	DFID last reviewed its involvement with the PPIAF in July 2005, when considering a request for continued support. This review drew heavily on the findings of the independent strategic review and progress on implementing its recommendations. The strategic review reported that the PPIAF has a comparative advantage over other facilities by demonstrating clear focus, global reach, strong donor support and efficient management. It confirmed that demand for PPIAF services by governments of developing countries is growing and that continued DFID support is critical to growth and increasing the leverage of funds required for scaling up. On this basis, DFID agreed to continue its contribution to PPIAF for a further three-year periodJuly 2005 to June 2008.
	Donors are asked annually to consider a financial plan incorporating an estimate of future calls on donors based on the anticipated demand by governments. The PPIAF then considers requests for funding from governments once a quarter in light of available funds and donor pledges. DFID has agreed an indicative biannual payment schedule for meeting our commitment to the PPIAF based on the financial plan. DFID funds are only ever released on evidence of need and good performance.
	DFID consults with members of the public, NGOs and other stakeholders when setting the UK policy for international development. It is not practical to consult the public on the many individual funding decisions that DFID takes to deliver this policy.

Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what assessment the Government have made of the likely impact on poverty alleviation in donor countries of the private infrastructure advisory facility; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment the Government have made of the value for money of the UK's involvement with the public private infrastructure advisory facility; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how the Government seeks to influence the activities of the public private infrastructure advisory facility; what recent representations the Government have made; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what the objectives are of UK involvement in the Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility; what UK funding has been provided in each year to the Facility for  (a) energy production,  (b) the water industry and  (c) other functions; and what UK funding has been allocated in each of the next three years.

Hilary Benn: Improving infrastructure is essential for achieving economic growth in developing countries. There is also a pressing need to increase the efficiency of infrastructure to give greater access to the poor and better value for money. Current investment flows are insufficient to fund these additional needs and the public sector alone cannot bridge the financing and efficiency gaps. A significant contribution from the private sector will be required. However, attracting private capital and participation is difficultaccording to World Bank figures, private investment in developing country infrastructure fell from US$ 49.6 billion in 1997 to US$ 12.5 billion in 2003.
	Among the main constraints to successful private sector participation in infrastructure are the lack of appropriate policies, laws, regulations and institutions and the weak capacity of the public sector to effectively manage private sector involvement. The PPIAF is a global technical assistance facility managed by the World Bank to address these constraints and, where requested to do so by developing country governments, facilitate and raise the quality of private sector involvement in infrastructure. The PPIAF is a good example of successful donor harmonization in development. It is supported by 14 donors with a wide range of skills, knowledge and experience. As of April 2006, it had approved $US 108.7 million funding for 495 activities in 101 countries. This funding mobilised an additional US$ 59.8 million co-financing from governments and other donors.
	A particular strength of the PPIAF is its open and transparent systems of governance. These include procedures governing the application for and allocation of activity funds. As a partner in a multilateral facility, DFID abides by the endorsed systems and governance arrangements.
	DFID fully endorses the PPIAF's objective to help developing countries to improve the quality of their infrastructure to the benefit of the poor through effective public private partnerships. In practice, this is largely achieved by helping governments improve their policies, laws regulations and institutions (their enabling environment). Our other objectives are to encourage greater donor coordination in designing solutions to meet the demands of developing countries, reducing transaction costs for developing countries and effective dissemination of lessons learned.
	DFID does not earmark its contribution to the PPIAF. Funding is pooled with that of other donors. The breakdown of total PPIAF expenditure in US $ by sector for each of the last three years is provided in the table below. Future allocations will depend on demand from governments of developing countries.
	
		
			   2003  2004  2005 
			  Energy
			 US$ 792,010 2,229,500 3,663,675 
			 Percentage 6 16 21 
			  Water
			 US$ 3,452,122 2,700,118 3,171,640 
			 Percentage 34 19 18 
			  Telecom
			 US$ 2,745,040 1,536,218 796,600 
			 Percentage 19 11 5 
			  Transport
			 US$ 3,624,750 1,701,270 3,361,993 
			 Percentage 25 12 19 
			  Multi-sector
			 US$ 3,690,383 6,053,654 6,409,295 
			 Percentage 26 43 37 
			  Total
			 US$ 14,304,305 14,220,760 17,403,203 
			 Percentage 100 100 100 
		
	
	The PPIAF has good systems for assessing outcomes. The following table provides broad details of these by main category since the PPIAF's inception in 1999 to December 2005.
	
		
			  PPIAF activities 1999-2005 
			  Category  Completed activities 
			 Facilitating transactions 54 
			 Creating/strengthening regulatory institutions 34 
			 New legislations and regulations 24 
			 Public Private Sector Strategies 26 
			 Workshops concerned with the above 176 
		
	
	All project proposals are assessed for value for money and their potential for impact by the PPIAF. Once approved, all activities follow World Bank procurement rules that require open and transparent competition to ensure value for money. A sample of activities are systematically evaluated by the technical advisory panel of independent experts that reports to the Program Council which is composed of representatives of the 14 donors members. PPIAF evaluations have confirmed that 84 per cent of its activities have satisfactorily achieved their original objectives.
	In 2004, PPIAF donors also commissioned an independent evaluation the 'Strategic Review', of the first five years of PPIAF's operations. The objective was to evaluate PPIAF's progress against its original objectives and identify ways for improving its performance. The report, issued in the final quarter of 2004, was very positive, concluding that that PPIAF is making an important contribution to development. A number of recommendations were made that the PPIAF has since implemented. The recommendations included strengthening the strategic direction of the programme; increasing stakeholder involvement in the PPIAF's Program Council, more focus on outcomes rather than outputs, enhancing PPIAF's identity as an autonomous multi- donor facility and improving impact measurement.
	Changes facilitated by the PPIAF often take a few years to deliver the anticipated improvements to the enabling environment. This has made it difficult to assess direct poverty impact to date. Improving impact measurement is an issue that is currently being addressed. One proposal is that PPIAF activity should be more closely anchored to planned infrastructure projects. Further work is in hand to gauge the impact of PPIAF activity on the International Financial Corporation's national 'doing business' ratings that address various aspects of the enabling environment.
	DFID is an active member of the PPIAF's Program Council and we are involved in discussions about the strategic direction of the PPIAF. Over the past couple of years, DFID and other donors have sought to encourage the PPIAF to make better progress on measuring the impact of its activities on poverty alleviation and to better co-ordinate its activity with others.

Rotavirus

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of Statefor International Development what funding his Department has  (a) allocated in each of the last three financial years and  (b) plans to allocate in each of the next three financial years to tackling rotavirus.

Gareth Thomas: DFID supports partner countries to strengthen the health system to address all major causes of disease including the prevention and management of childhood diarrhoea.
	The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations (GAVI) alliance board recently approved US$15 million for the completion of clinical trials of rotavirus vaccines in Africa and Asia during the period 2006-09. Furthermore, the board requested the development of an 'investment case' for the introduction of rotavirus vaccine, to be submitted to the November 2006 joint meeting of the GAVI alliance and GAVI fund boards. If approved, GAVI would finance rotavirus vaccine in GAVI-eligible countries (those with GNI of below $1000 p.a). The request for an investment case clearly signals GAVI's interest in supporting rotavirus vaccine.
	DFID is a strong supporter of GAVI. We have committed 68.5 million between 2000-08. Our main approach to financing GAVI over the next decade is through the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm). The IFFIm is expected to provide GAVI with $4 billion over 10 years and DFID has committed to provide one third of the finance required to deliver this (approximately 1.38 billion to 2025).
	DFID plans to sign a memorandum of understanding with the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh for 7.5 million core funding for five years. This includes funding their work on a new oral vaccine for rota virus.
	DFID also supports Unicef and WHO, much of their work supports the management of common childhood illnesses

Street Children (Central America)

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of Statefor International Development if he will meet representatives of Casa Alianza and other international development organisations to discuss assistance for street children in central America.

Hilary Benn: On 26 May 2006, my hon. Friend, the parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department for International Development responded to a letter from Casa Alianza, forwarded by my right hon. Friend the Member for Oxford, East, Andrew Smith, outlining recent DFID assistance to street children in Central America. He would be happy to meet with representatives of Casa Alianza to discuss further the situation of street children and how DFID works in Central America.

Tobacco Control

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made on the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control since it entered into force on 27 February 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The UK was one of the first toratify the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC): 168 countries have now done so. Since the adoption of the convention, the WHO FCTC secretariat has been working to ensure that as many countries as possible sign and ratify the treaty through awareness-raising among politicians, policy-makers, health professionals and society at large. Regional and national consultations to assist countries in preparing for the ratification and implementation of the WHO Framework FCTC have taken place. The WHO Tobacco-Free Initiative is also providing technical support to countries to assist them with implementation.
	In order to support the development of a strong FCTC and combat tobacco industry disinformation, an alliance of non-governmental organizations from around the world has been formed. Now comprising more than 200 groups from more than 90 countries, the Framework Convention Alliance (FCA) is playing a key role in educating policymakers and strengthening cooperation across borders.

Tobacco Control

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of Statefor International Development what action the Government are taking to help reduce tobacco use in the developing world.

Gareth Thomas: The health impacts of tobacco use in developing countries are of increasing concern. By 2030, tobacco will be responsible for ten million deaths per year, and 70 per cent. of these deaths will be in the developing world. The UK is taking action to address this problem.
	Firstly, the UK played a key role in negotiating and ratifying the WHO'S Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which sets international standards on tobacco price and tax increases, tobacco advertising and sponsorship, labelling, illicit trade and second-hand smoke among others. Secondly, we have recently given the International Development Research Centre a 1.1 million grant over 3 years for research into effective tobacco control policies and programmes that will minimize the threat of tobacco production and consumption to health and human development in developing countries. Thirdly, we provide advice to tobacco-dependent poor countries on constraints to their economic development and the livelihoods of their citizens.
	As a final point, DFID's focus on improving health systems will impact on the adverse health effects of tobacco. We are currently revising our health strategy and looking at whether we should be doing more on tobacco control. As part of developing our strategy, we are specifically commissioning some work to help guide us in this area.

Trade Matters

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost was of  (a) producing and  (b) distributing the booklet Trade Matters.

Gareth Thomas: Freer and fairer trade is vital for poverty reduction, and Trade Matters is DFID's most popular downloaded publication. So far 150,000 have been printed in hard copy at a cost of around 64p a copy, some 96,214. It would incur a disproportionate cost to disaggregate specific costs of distribution from the general costs of distributing all DFID publications. However, DFID has spent 26,928 on the promotion of Trade Matters, with flyers in  The Independent,  New Statesman,  Big Issue North, Sunday Herald, The Grocer, SAGA magazine, and the full publication in the  Women's Institute magazine.

Yugoslavia

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many internally displaced people there are in the former Republic of Yugoslavia, broken down by  (a) current state boundary and  (b) ethnic group; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the following numbers of people were internally displaced (IDPs) in the former Republic of Yugoslavia as of the end of 2005. The UNHCR does not have data on ethnic origin.
	
		
			  Country  Refugees(1)  Asylum seekers( 2)  Returned Refugees( 3)  IDPs( 4)  Returned IDPs( 5)  Stateless Persons( 6)  Various( 7)  Total 
			 Bosnia and Hercegovina 10,568 215 1,273 182,747 5,164   199,967 
			 Croatia 2,927 8 5,261 4,804 2,736 20  15,756 
			 Serbia and Montenegro (including Kosovo) 148,264 33 5,828 246,391 2,482  85,000 487,998 
			 Slovenia 251 185445  881 
			 The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 1,274 7232,200 123 4,320 
			 (1) Persons recognized as refugees under the 1951 UN Convention/1967 Protocol, the 1969 OAU Convention, in accordance with the UNHCR Statute, persons granted a complementary form of protection and those granted temporary protection. (2 )Persons whose application for asylum or refugee status is pending at any stage in the procedure. (3) Refugees who have returned to their place of origin during the calendar year.  Source: Country of origin and country of asylum. (4) Persons who are displaced within their country and to whom UNHCR extends protection and/or assistance. (5 )IDPs of concern to UNHCR who have returned to their place of origin during the calendar year. (6) Persons who are not considered nationals by any country under the operation of its laws. (7) Persons of concern to UNHCR not included in the previous columns (in the case of Serbia, local residents deemed at risk by UNHCR).  Source UNHCR 2005 Global Refugee Trends'.

NHS Operations

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2006,  Official Report, column 798, on NHS operations, on what date figures showed that 768 Welsh patients had been waiting for more than six months for treatment in an English hospital.

Peter Hain: Statistics Wales released figures on28 June 2006 relating to NHS hospital waiting times as at 31 May 2006. These figures show that 768 Welsh patients were waiting for more than six months for inpatient and day care treatment at non-Welsh NHS Trusts.
	Further information can be found at http://www.statswales.wales.gov.uk/ReportFolders/ReportFolders.aspx

Drug Classification Review

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department will putthe drug classification review document out for consultation; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: Since coming into post the Home Secretary has not had the opportunity to decide how to proceed with the matter. In any event, it is sensible to take into account the conclusions drawn by the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee in its inquiry into Scientific advice, risk and evidence: how Government handles them which is using the classification of illegal drugs as one of its case studies.

Gun Crime

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many shooting incidentsthere have been in  (a) Southend-on-Sea,  (b) Essex,  (c) Hertfordshire,  (d) the Metropolitan police areaof London,  (e) City of London police area and (f) England and Wales in each year since 1986 in which (i) legally held and (ii) illegally held weapons were used against the police.

Tony McNulty: The requested data is not in a form suitable for publication.

Police

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many formal complaintswere made against police officers working in each constabulary in England in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what percentage of such complaints have resulted in disciplinary action being taken against the police officer in each constabulary area.

Tony McNulty: The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is responsible for the management of the police complaints system. I will ensure that the chairman receives a copy of the question and replies to you directly. Copies of the letter containing the IPCC's response will be placed in the Library.

Police

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what guidelines are issued on informing a parent or guardian when a minor is stopped and searched by the police;
	(2)  what guidelines are followed when a minor is stopped and searched by the police;
	(3)  what guidelines his Department has issued on the length of time before stop and search records should be deleted;
	(4)  what guidelines his Department has issued on how long a stop and search record is retained in the case of an underage minor where there has been no further action after the initial stop and search;
	(5)  procedures are followed when an underage minor is stopped and searched by the police; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  long the record is kept for a minor who is stopped and searched where no further action is taken; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Code of practice A issued under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 regulates contacts with the police and the public in the exercise of police powers to stop and search.
	Code A requires that a record of the stop or stop and search must be made at the time unless there are exceptional circumstances. If the record is not given at the time, the person must be notified by the officer of their entitlement to a record if requested within 12 months and informed how a copy can be obtained. The decision to retain records after that period is a matter for individual chief officers, irrespective of whether the record relates to an adult or a juvenile and the outcome of the stop or stop and search.
	Code A does not make special provision for the handling of a stop or stop and search involving a person under the age of 17 years old. Officers exercising these powers must do so fairly, responsibly and with respect for people being stopped or stopped and searched. It would be whether any additional support or action would be required owing to the vulnerability of the individual; and guidance due for publication this summer by the National Centre for Policing Excellence highlights the need for officers to take account of the person's age and vulnerability .

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he uses of the improvement in  (a) literacy,  (b) numeracy and (c) health, including drug and alcohol addiction, of(i) adult, (ii) young offenders and (iii) juveniles in custody.

Phil Hope: I have been asked to reply.
	At present, improvement in literacy and numeracy for adults in custody is measured by reference to their overall contribution towards the Government's Skills for Life targets by counting the qualifications achieved. For young offenders and juveniles in custody, the Youth Justice Board measures improvement by those serving custodial sentences of more than six months through an assessment at the start and end of the sentence that shows what they have achieved, and whether or not they have gained a qualification.
	As new Learning and Skills Council-led delivery arrangements for offender learning are introduced across England from 31 July, data on individual achievement by offenders will start to become available for adults, young offenders and juveniles in custody, and on those serving sentences in the community.
	A system of star ratings exists for prison health services. This is based on a framework of measures, including prison self-assessments, external inspection reports and prisons' performance against key areas such as mental health and dental waiting times.
	Since April 2006, HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) and the Healthcare Commission haveworked in partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding. HMIP continues to inspect and report on the health outcomes for prisoners in all public sector establishments. The Healthcare Commission now assesses the effectiveness of primary care trusts' commissioning arrangements.

Public Pensions (Transferability)

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures the Department has put in place to assist pension transferability of public pensions for  (a) police and  (b) probation service personnel.

Tony McNulty: All public service schemes pay cash equivalent transfer values to other pension schemes in respect of accrued rights in compliance with pensions law. Under the Fair Deal for Staff Pensions there isa requirement to transfer pension rights when employments are transferred to the private sector under Public Private Partnerships or Public Finance Initiatives and subsequent transfers for former public servants. Public service scheme members can also transfer accrued pension rights by way of the Public Sector Transfer Club. The club is a network of public and private sector occupational pension schemes which makes it easier for employees who move between employers covered by separate participating schemes to transfer their accrued pension rights.

Scottish Criminal Records Office

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State forthe Home Department what advice he has issuedon fingerprint identification following the misidentification in the case of Shirley McKie and David Asbury.

Joan Ryan: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department has not issued any advice in response to this case. However, The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) National Fingerprint Board has issued a document dated 4 April 2006 entitled 'Erroneous and disputed identifications: Learning from experience elsewhere'. This document is for guidance only and is not a policy document; it was circulated to all fingerprint bureau in police forces in England and Wales.
	The ACPO report referred to Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary Scotland's inspection of the Scottish Criminal Records Office (SCRO) that commenced on April 2000. The key recommendations of the inspection report were that the SCRO should:
	Move towards a non-numeric standard;
	Reform management and scope demands for staff levels;
	Consider moving to a centralised model for a national fingerprint service;
	Have external provision and management of competency testing for experts to provide a sustainable and defensible programme;
	Move towards a competency-based standard for expert qualification that all fingerprint experts within the SCRO should undergo;
	Provide a common procedure to deal with failure in the course of competency testing; introduce an improved automated manual system of case tracking.
	Produce national guidance on fingerprint standards and procedures and issue it to all fingerprint staff;
	Establish a national policy which encapsulates an independent review process to deal with all erroneous and disputed fingerprints.
	ACPO and the Home Office place a strong emphasis on ensuring forensic standards in fingerprinting. The Home Office will shortly be consulting about the creation of a forensic regulator (in accordance withthe evidence given by the then Minister of State, Andy Burnham, before the Science and Technology Committee on 23 November 2005). The creation of the National Policing Improvement Agency through the Police and Justice Bill will also be very significant in providing an Agency dedicated to continuous improvement of policing, including the area of forensic science.

World Cup

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has madeof the effect of the World Cup on levels of  (a) alcohol-related crime and  (b) domestic violence.

Vernon Coaker: Police forces do not routinely provide the Home Office with information on specifically alcohol-related crime, and so it is difficult to gauge the effect of occasional events such as the World Cup on this. Police recorded crime statistics covering the period of the World Cup will be released in September.
	The Home Office funded an Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaign (AMEC) during the month preceding the World Cup. Part of the intention for this was to set the tone of acceptable behaviour during the competition itself. Results from this campaign will be released shortly.
	Research has suggested a link between major sporting events and domestic violence. Because of this, a Domestic Violence Enforcement Campaign took place in some areas during the World Cup. Data from this campaign are still being collected and analysed, and the results will be released when they are ready.

Correspondence

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General whatthe average cost to his Department was of replying to a letter written  (a) by an hon. Member and  (b) by a member of the public in the latest period for which figures are available; and how much of that sum is accounted for by (i) officials' time, (ii) cost of stationery and (iii) postage costs.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is not collated centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost (code of practice on Access to Government Information, part 2, clause 9). The cost of a stamp is a post office cost. The cost of stationery is difficult to estimate but around 1 when all the overheads in terms of posting, computer costs and paper are taken into consideration. Staff time varies considerably based on the length of the letter. It is impossible therefore to estimate an average cost for all the letters sent out.

Home Repossessions

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many court orders have been made for the repossession of homes in  (a) Eastleigh constituency and  (b) each district in(i) Hampshire, (ii) Southampton and (iii) Portsmouth in each year since 1987.

Harriet Harman: The following table shows the number of mortgage possession orders made in countycourts in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight (includes Aldershot and Farnham, Basingstoke, Portsmouth, Southampton, Winchester and Newport) since 1987. These are the only county courts in Hampshire andIsle of Wight that deal with mortgage repossession matters.
	The civil procedure rules provide that all claims for the repossession of land must be commenced in the district in which the land is situated. However, these county courts cover areas that are not necessarily consistent with other administrative or constituency boundaries, and therefore for instance repossessions at Portsmouth county court may relate to properties in other constituencies besides Portsmouth.
	These figures do not indicate how many houses have been repossessed through the courts, since not all the orders will have resulted in the issue and execution of warrants of possession.
	
		
			  Number of mortgage( 1)  possession orders made in Hampshire county and the Isle of Wight county, 1987-2005 
			   Possession orders made( 2) 
			   1987( 3)  1988( 3)  1989( 3)  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996 
			 Aldershot and Farnham 118 370 663 486 470 322 344 291 309 172 
			 Andover 27 28 15 46 88 75 93 59 67 20 
			 Basingstoke 83 112 105 348 249 188 135 93 71 59 
			 Portsmouth 906 649 683 1,088 1,211 1,115 617 423 259 126 
			 Southampton 219 519 361 298 601 466 304 407 260 175 
			 Winchester 62 48 47 40 78 52 50 33 32 9 
			 Hampshire 1,415 1,726 1,874 2,306 2,697 2,218 1,543 1,306 998 561 
			
			 Newport (IoW) 106 85 124 121 220 140 123 81 141 69 
			 Isle of Wight 106 85 124 121 220 140 123 81 141 69 
		
	
	
		
			   Possession orders made( 2) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Aldershot and Farnham 139 34 153 99 66 65 71 103 122 
			 Andover 4 (4) (4) (4) (4) (4) (4) (4) (4) 
			 Basingstoke 56 70 28 51 46 43 63 58 72 
			 Portsmouth 168 324 179 135 111 142 125 158 314 
			 Southampton 95 164 141 122 109 94 107 175 223 
			 Winchester 9 13 11 7 13 6 11 9 26 
			 Hampshire 471 605 512 414 345 350 377 503 757 
			   
			 Newport (IoW) 59 36 33 15 22 21 35 48 62 
			 Isle of Wight 59 36 33 15 22 21 35 48 62 
			 (1) Local authority and private  (2) The court, following a judicial hearing, may grant an order for possession immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply for a warrant to have the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction. (3) For they years 1987 to 1989, Suspended orders were not separately counted. They are thus included in Orders made. (4) This court no longer deals with civil procedures.

Legal Professionals

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the average earnings are of solicitors; what they were in  (a) 1976,  (b) 1986,  (c) 1996 and  (d) 2000; and ifshe will conduct a survey of the socio-economic background of lawyers.

Bridget Prentice: In 2005, the average earnings of a solicitor were 35,000 per year. This figure is drawn from across the whole solicitors profession and so does not differentiate for size of firm, number of partners, grade of solicitor etc.
	The full information, showing the breakdowns, is available in the Law Society's Private Practice solicitors' salaries 2005 fact sheet.
	Information on salaries prior to 2001 is not available.
	While I have no plans to carry out a survey of the socio-economic background of lawyers, I am taking forward a programme of work to encourage and increase diversity in the legal profession.

Magistrates

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what progress she has made in increasing diversity among magistrates.

Harriet Harman: In the year 2004-05 there were 28,300 magistrates of which 6.7 per cent. were members of the Black and Minority Ethnic community; 18.96 per cent. of magistrates were under 50 years of age.
	In 2005-06 the magistracy increased to 28,865. Of these, Black and Minority Ethnic members rose to7.2 per cent.; and magistrates under 50 rose to 20.16 per cent.
	The gender split remains evenly balanced.

Official Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs on how many occasions she has visited each region in an official capacity in the last 12 months.

Harriet Harman: In an official capacity over the last12 months I have visited the North West five times, the East Midlands twice, the East of England once, the West Midlands twice, the South East once and have made 11 visits in London.

Social Exclusion

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what role her Department is playing in reducing social exclusion.

Vera Baird: The Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) has an important role in the social exclusion agenda. We are promoting the benefits of good early advice services for those most in need. Evidence shows that this can prevent relatively simple civil legal issues spiralling into more complex problems. We are also encouraging closer working across Whitehall. Our role is crosscutting in highlighting the worth of advice services to Government colleagues. DCA is also the facilitating Department for other Government Departments that require a final remedy to be decided upon by a court or tribunal.
	Specialisation and innovation in the courts systemis also relevant. We are looking at both preventing crime through community justice initiatives, and re-integrating offenders into society. The Community Justice Centre in North Liverpool is spearheading such an approach.
	Another main area of influence is the role of family courts. The recent Review of the Child Care Proceedings System in England and Wales (produced jointly with DfES) aims to achieve better lives for children and their families by improving the care proceedings system and eliminating unnecessary delay in care cases, while ensuring that the process remains a fair one. The DCA is also a key player on the Domestic Violence Inter-Ministerial Group. There are currently 25 Specialist Domestic Violence (DV) courts. A bidding process is currently under way to establish a second tranche of these courts by 1 April 2007.

Social Exclusion

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the role of early legal advice in preventing social exclusion.

Vera Baird: Good, early advice services can prevent relatively simple civil legal issues developing into more complex and numerous problems. This is evidenced by the recent Legal Services Research Centre's Causesof Action publication, which also highlights the tendency for inter-related problems to develop around a key theme (broadly around 'family', 'homelessness' and 'economic' clusters). The Legal Services Commission's new Community Legal Service Strategy is informed by this research, and proposes that newly created Community Legal Advice Centres are located in areas of high deprivation in order to target the most vulnerable. My Department's recent Getting earlier, better advice to vulnerable people document underlines the need for ensuring advice is people focussed, with problems not being considered in isolation. It also highlights the importance of getting advice right first time, and ensuring more effective referral networks are in place so that people get the service they need regardless of their point of access to the system.

Pakistan

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what recent assessment she has made of the impact on Christians of the use of blasphemy laws in Pakistan; and what recent representations she has made on religious freedom in Pakistan;
	(2)  what recent representations she has made to the Pakistani Government on the use of blasphemy laws.

Kim Howells: I raised the situation of Christians in Pakistan during my meeting with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, on 7 March, asking him to take action to protect religious minorities in Pakistan.
	Working with our EU partners, we raise our human rights concerns with the Government of Pakistan through regular dmarches, as well as bilateral lobbying. The most recent demarche was presented to the Government of Pakistan in June 2006. In the dmarche we reiterated our concerns over the abuses of the Blasphemy laws and renewed our requests for the Government of Pakistan to repeal or modify them, to remove the possibility of the law being misused against minority communities.

Pakistan

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of reports of  (a) violence and  (b) infringements of freedom of religion against Christians in Pakistan.

Kim Howells: There continues to be incidents of violence against Christians in Pakistan, although the Government in Pakistan is quick to condemn them. I raised the situation of Christians during my meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, on7 March, asking him to take action to protect religious minorities in Pakistan.
	We condemn instances where individuals are persecuted because of their faith whenever it happens and whatever religion of the individual or group concerned. We make regular representations to the Government of Pakistan on this issue, both through bilateral lobbying and working with our EU partners. This was last raised through an EU demarche inJune 2006.

Pakistan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made since January on behalf of Younis Masih, on trial for blasphemy in Lahore, Pakistan.

Kim Howells: We have not made any representations on this case since January. We continue to lobby, both bilaterally and as part of the EU, on minority issues in Pakistan, to remove the possibility of the law being misused against minority communities. In June 2006, an EU dmarche on human rights was delivered to the Government of Pakistan, which reiterated our concerns over the abuses of the Blasphemy laws and renewed our requests to repeal or modify them.

Palestine

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State forForeign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Coventry, South(Mr. Cunningham) of 28 June 2006,  Official Report, column 439W, on Palestine, which parts of the Quartet aid mechanism to the Palestinians are expected to begin to deliver support in July; and if she will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: I have been asked to reply.
	Emergency support through the temporary international mechanism has already begun to reach the occupied Palestinian territories. On 11 July, the European Community began providing fuel for emergency generators for hospitals in Gaza. This will enable essential health services to continue after electricity supplies were affected by recent damage to the Gaza power station. We expect that further assistance to health services throughout the West Bank and Gaza will begin during July.

Art Market

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what action her Department has taken to strengthen the position of London as a global art market.

David Lammy: My Department sees maintaining the pre-eminent position of London within the global art market as vitally important. Through Arts Council England, we have invested around 480,000 of lottery capital funding into London studio spaces for artists. The Arts Council also supports a number of art fairs, including the Frieze Art Fair which last yearattracted 31,497 people, encouraging new buyersfor contemporary art and leading to 32 million of sales.
	My Department sponsors a number of museums and galleries, a number of which have important contemporary collections. The Arts Council has also stimulated public interest in contemporary art through its Own Art Scheme, which offers interest free loans to open up the market to a wider range of people. Own Art, although primarily focused on the regions, is to be expanded to involve a number of art colleges in London.

Gambling

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether a sports levy on the gambling industry is being considered to help finance the integrity in sport sought by her Department's Ten Point Plan on Betting.

Richard Caborn: The Government have no plans to introduce a statutory levy to finance the integrity of sports.

London Olympics

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what percentage of the waste generated during the course of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games will be diverted from landfill and sent for reprocessing; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans the Government have to implement delivery of a zero waste games; by what criteria the level of waste will be assessed; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: We have committed to zero wasteto landfill for the duration of the Olympic and Paralympic games in 2012. The Olympic Board has identified waste as one of five key sustainability themes the Olympic programme will be focusing on. The Government, GLA, ODA and LOCOG are currently developing their delivery plans in this area, and are looking at appropriate targets for waste as part of the overall Olympic programme. As part of this, the ODA is currently investigating the opportunities to divert waste from landfill during the demolition and construction of the Olympic Park as part of its sustainable development strategy.

School Swimming Pools

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she hashad with the Amateur Swimming Association on classification of school swimming pools not included in the category of supplementary net agenda; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: I have been asked to reply.
	We are not aware of any discussion between the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and the Amateur Swimming Association regarding the classification of school swimming pools.
	Indoor swimming pools are normally classified as 'supplementary net area', as set out in DfES Building Bulletin 98: 'Briefing Framework for Secondary School Projects'. This is because they are usually an enhancement to school facilities, not part of the core provision that we expect all schools to have. Outdoor pools are not included in either the net or gross floor area of school buildings.

Swimming (Peterborough)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps to improve the provision of swimming facilities in Peterborough; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: Access to good quality sporting provision, including swimming pools, is essential if we are to encourage people to lead healthier, more active lives. There has been significant public investment in sports facilities in recent yearsby 2006 over 1 billion of exchequer and lottery funding will have been committed to develop over 4,000 new or refurbished facilities. Swimming has been the single greatest beneficiary of sport lottery funding, having received some 249 million since 1997. Peterborough has benefited from 31 awards totalling 699,823.
	Provision for sport and leisure is currently a discretionary service for local authorities. Decisions on such provision are therefore a matter for local government. However, Sport England are encouraging and helping local authorities through the development of swimming strategies and toolkits to aid strategic planning. According to the Active Places database (available at www.activeplaces.com) there are 14 swimming pools within a 10 mile radius of Peterborough.

Ticket Touting

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which event organisers of music festivals in the summer of 2006 have signed up to her Department's code of practice on ticket touting; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: DCMS have been working with many of the organisers of summer music festivals including those representing the organisers of T in the Park, the Reading and Leeds festivals and the V festival as well as other representatives covering music, sport and the arts as well as secondary sellers and EBay.
	All of these parties were involved in the production of the statement of principles, (copies of which I have now placed in the Libraries of both Houses, which was first presented at a meeting) hosted by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in April. The statement of principles sets out the broad guidelines which we expected all parties involved in the commercial selling of tickets to follow. Since that meeting DCMS officials have had continued meetings with these representatives to aid their sectors in the production of sector specific codes of practice, which puts the rights of the consumer at the forefront.
	Our principle in taking this forward must be to find a solution that protects fans and ensures that our creative, cultural and sporting industries are able to realise legitimate revenue streams.

National Audit Office

Edward Leigh: To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission what progress the Commission has made in considering the proposal by the National Audit Office for the refurbishment of its headquarters building in London.

Alan Williams: At its meeting in December 2005 the Commission gave outline approval to the NAO's proposed refurbishment of its headquarters building in Buckingham Palace Road, London, subject, however, to three conditions. First, that the NAO should produce a detailed, fully costed business case for the project. Second, that the NAO should carry out a cost-benefit analysis of an alternative approach to its accommodation requirements, namely moving its headquarters to a North of England location. And third, that the NAO should provide a fuller explanation of its decision to rule out the possibility of acquiring alternative accommodation in London as part of the Government estate.
	At its meeting on 4 July 2006, the Commission considered the NAO's response under each of those headings.
	 The Business Case
	The business case produced by the NAO gives the total cost of the project as 77.44 million, spread over five years starting in 2006-07. In the longer term, there will be a small increase in annual resource costs to the NAO, resulting from higher business rates, capital charges and depreciation, partially offset by reduced running costs through greater building efficiency. Since submitting its original proposals the NAO has revised its approach to the decanting of staff which will be necessary while the building work is in progress. It is now hoped to carry this out in a single rather than a two or three stage process, depending on the availability of suitable decant accommodation. On the basis of the business case, the NAO made a persuasive argument in support of refurbishment as the most cost-effective way of avoiding what would otherwise bebecause of the building's current deficienciesan unacceptable risk to the Office's continued ability to function efficiently. The Commission was, however, conscious of the sensitivity surrounding the timing of the project, since, under the NAO's plans, the bulk of the expenditure would occur in the year's covered by the next, and potentially difficult, comprehensive spending review. We therefore pressed the NAO on the implications of deferring the project (which, because of the need to avoid coinciding with the competing demands on the construction industry from Olympics-related activity, would entail a delay until 2013). The NAO satisfied the Commission that, given the deteriorating condition of the current building, waiting a further seven years before undertaking remedial work would pose an unacceptable risk to the NAO's operations and therefore to the service it provides to Parliament.
	 The Possibility of Relocating to the North of England
	In response to the Commission's request, the NAO examined Manchester as a possible location for a provincial headquarters building. Of a number of cities considered, Manchester was judged to come nearest to meeting the Office's principal requirements: good transport connections; and a sufficiently large local pool of qualified accountants to enable the NAO to recruit and retain key professional staff. On the latter count, the available pool in Manchester, though large in comparison with other provincial cities, is much smaller than London's and is insufficient to support the NAO's requirements. The cost-benefit analysis carried out by the NAO indicated that the basic costs associated with relocating would be broadly similar to those for the option of staying on in a refurbished Buckingham Palace Road. On the other hand, the analysis suggested that the uncertainty over the number of staff who would be willing to relocate posed a risk both of additional, but unquantifiable costs of redundancy and resettlement packages, and of disruption of core business activity. The Commission was satisfied that, for these reasons, relocation was not a realistic option. The NAO is, however, proposing to expand its presence in the North, concentrating on its existing team in Newcastle.
	 Alternative Accommodation in London
	As part of its consideration of alternative sites in London for its headquarters building, the NAO has examined the portfolio of vacant, or about to become vacant, properties maintained by the Office of Government Commerce. The NAO's assessment, which the Commission accepted, is that there is at present no building available of a size and configuration to meet the NAO's requirements on a long term basis, and at a cost competitive with the headquarters refurbishment option, taking account of the resultant loss of the current peppercorn rent. Taking all these factors into account, and having carefully considered the NAO's business case, the Commission gave its formal approval to the proposed refurbishment of the Buckingham Palace Road building. The Commission noted that, depending on how quickly the refurbishment work can begin, it may be necessary for the NAO to submit a supplementary estimate for the financial year 2006-07. The Commission will consider any such request if and when it is received. In the meantime, the Commission looks to the Treasury to make room within the public expenditure envelope for the relevant years for the resources needed for the refurbishment. For its part, the Commission will monitor carefully the progress of the project against both time and budget.

Cabinet Office Staff Handbook

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar, (Mr. Pickles) of21 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1872W, on the Cabinet Office Staff Handbook, when the CD will be placed in the Library.

Patrick McFadden: A CD Rom containing the terms and conditions of service of Cabinet Office staff set out in the Cabinet Office HR Code, was placed in the Library for the reference of Members on Friday 14 July.

Arm's Length Management

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much rent surplus is available to each arm's length management organisation for reinvestment in 2006-07.

Yvette Cooper: The money that an Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) receives is determined by the scope of its management agreement with the local authority and the agreed level of extra funding paid to the local authority for its ALMO to deliver decent homes. The money for the ALMO will come from the local authorities Housing Revenue Account (HRA).
	Those local authorities that operate Arm's Length Management Organisations receive specific ALMO allowances as part of their HRA annual subsidy determination. Assumed surpluses (and deficits) are calculated after all assumed income (including rent) and allowances have been taken into account.
	Surpluses are collected by the Department and together with a net contribution from the Exchequer of around 200 million a year, are paid to authorities with assumed deficits.

Community Infrastructure Scheme

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much of the Community Infrastructure Fund announced in July 2004 has been  (a) spent and  (b) otherwise committed to be spent on identified projects; and what these projects are.

Yvette Cooper: In total 193 million of the 200 million Community Infrastructure Fund (CIF) has been allocated following a series of announcementsthe final of which took place in 11 April 2006. The remaining 7 million is to be used as a contingency reserve to address any emerging issues that may arise over this two-year programme.
	Following is a list of the approved GIF schemes:
	
		
			  Scheme name  Growth area  Total CIF  million (to 2dp) 
			 A602 Improvements South of Stevenage LSCP 3.12 
			 Bishops Stortford Green Corridors LSCP 1.98 
			 Cambridge Station Area Access LSCP 0.60 
			 Dalston Slab LSCP 10.00 
			 Great Notley Garden Village Access LSCP 4.80 
			 Haringey Heartlands Spine Road LSCP 5.00 
			 Peterborough Fletton Parkway LSCP 7.01 
			 Aylesbury Vale Parkway MKSM 8.17 
			 Aylesbury PT Hub MKSM 11.42 
			 Aylesbury Southcourt Bridge MKSM 2.96 
			 Corby Northern Orbital Road MKSM 6.10 
			 Cross Valley Link Northampton MKSM 9.69 
			 East Luton Corridor Improvements MKSM 14.50 
			 Ml Junction 14 MKSM 8.42 
			 Milton Keynes Station MKSM 24.00 
			 Sandy Lane Improvements MKSM 5.72 
			 Sandy Lane Relief Road MKSM 4.51 
			 Wilby Way Roundabout MKSM 1.30 
			 FastrackGreenhithe Stn/Ingress TG 5.24 
			 Fastrack Thames Way TG 8.12 
			 Fryerns/Craylands, Basildon TG 5.90 
			 Langdon Park DLR TG 5.70 
			 London Gateway Transitstwo schemes TG 34.00 
			 Pontoon Dock Station Bridge TG 1.34 
			 Tidal Basin Roundabout TG 0.96 
			 Woolwich New Road TG 2.62

Crasher Green (Stroud)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she will name the successful bidder for the Crasher Green site, Stroud.

Yvette Cooper: English Partnerships is currently conducting a feasibility study in to the development of the Crasher Green site in Stroud which is due to be completed in July. A decision about the future development of the site will follow in the autumn.

Discharged Psychiatric Patients

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of discharged psychiatric patients who  (a) became homeless and  (b) were given (i) temporary accommodation and (ii) council housing in each year since 1990.

Yvette Cooper: Although psychiatric patients should not be discharged as homeless, some may nevertheless self-discharge and not have accommodation available to them. People may be discharged to temporary accommodation as part of a plan agreed between mental health services and housing departments, but this is not recorded as part of routine monitoring.
	Information collected by my Department about households accepted by local authorities as unintentionally homeless and in a priority need group identifies those where the applicant or a household member was vulnerable as a result of mental illness or disability. Results for years since 1997 are presented in Table 4 of the quarterly Statistical Release on homelessness, first quarter of 2006, published on12 June. A summary of information back to 1990 is presented in the table. However, information on the number of these who had been former psychiatric patients, and whether they were subsequently allocated temporary accommodation or a settled tenancy, is not available centrally.
	
		
			  Households accepted as unintentionally homeless and in priority need( 1) , England 
			   Total  Of which, vulnerable due to mental illness or disability: 
			 1990-91 132,280 4,300 
			 1991-92 39,630 5,200 
			 1992-93 136,230 5,950 
			 1993-94 125,360 6,740 
			 1994-95 116,850 7,200 
			 1995-96 116,550 7,570 
			 1996-97 110,600 8,010 
			 1997-98 102,430 6,930 
			 1998-99 104,260 7,260 
			 1999-2000 105,580 7,580 
			 2000-01 114,670 9,110 
			 2001-02 116,660 9,970 
			 2002-03 128,540 10,980 
			 2003-04 135,430 12,070 
			 2004-05 120,860 10,650 
			 2005-06 93,980 7,340 
			 (1) All households eligible under homelessness legislation, found to be unintentionally homeless and in a priority need category, and consequently owed a main homelessness duty.  Source: DCLG P1E homelessness returns (quarterly).

Homelessness

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people were  (a) homeless and  (b) placed in emergency accommodation in (i) each of the past five years and (ii) 2006-07 to date; and how many (A) new local authority lettings, (B) new housing association lettings and (C) sales under right-to-buy took place in each borough in each year.

Yvette Cooper: Information about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation, which is collected in respect of households rather than persons, is summarised in a quarterly Statistical Release, the latest of which was published by the Department for Communities and Local Government on 12 June.
	Copies of the Statistical Release and tables are available in the Library, and from the DCLG website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=l002882PressNoticeID=2169
	 (a) Table 1 of the Statistical Release provides the number of decisions on homelessness applications from eligible households in each year since 1997, distinguishing those found to be homeless. This includes those accepted by local authorities as unintentionally homeless and in a priority need category, and consequently owed a main homelessness duty.
	Information is also collected by the Department on the number of people who sleep roughthat is, those who are literally roofless on a single night. These are recorded on a calendar year basis, and figures for 1998 up to the latest available figures, for 2005, are also presented on DCLG's website, at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/132/NationalRoughSleepingEstimate2005Excel116Kb_idll50132.xls
	(b) The duty owed to a person accepted as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need is to secure suitable accommodation. If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority may secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available. Table 6 of the Statistical Release presents those in various forms of temporary accommodation arranged by local authorities at the end of each quarter since March 1997.
	The supplementary tables of the release show the results at local authority level.
	No data is yet available for 2006-07. Figures for the first quarter 2006-07 will be published in September.
	(A) The number of new local authority lettings in each local authority for the years 2000-01 to 2004-05 have been placed in the Library of the House. No data is available for 2005-06 or 200607.
	(B) The number of new Housing Association lettings in each local authority for the years 2001/02 to 2005-06 have been placed in the Library of the House. No data is available for 2006-07.
	(C) Data on the number of sales under right-to-buy are available from the DCLG website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/383/Table648Excel545Kb_idl156383.xls

Homelessness

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homeless households in  (a) West Lancashire and (b) Lancashire were (i) living in temporary accommodation and (ii) sleeping rough in each of the past five years; and how many beds were available for homeless households in each area in each year.

Yvette Cooper: Local authorities report their activities under homelessness legislation quarterly, and this includes the number of homeless households in various forms of temporary accommodation as on the last day of the quarter.
	The duty owed to a person accepted as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need is to secure suitable accommodation. If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority may secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available. As an alternative to the provision of temporary accommodation some authorities arrange for households to remain in their current accommodation until a settled solution becomes available.
	Information is also collected on the number of people who sleep rough - that is, those who are literally roofless on a single night. These are recorded on a calendar year basis, and figures for mid-year 2001 up to the latest available figures, for 2005, are also presented in the following tables.
	 (a) The West Lancashire constituency is wholly contained in the West Lancashire local authority, although the authority also contains part of the South Ribble constituency. Temporary accommodationand rough sleeping figures for the entire West Lancashire authority for the last 5 years are in the following table:
	
		
			  (i) Homeless households in temporary accommodation arranged by West Lancashire district council, and (ii) the number of rough sleepers in West Lancashire 
			   Number of households in temporary accommodation( 1)  (31 March snapshot)  Number of rough sleepers, people, mid-year (June) estimate( 2) 
			 2001-02 6  
			 2002-03   
			 2003-04 5  
			 2004-05 2  
			 2005-06 1  
			 (1) Households in accommodation at the end of the year (March) either pending a decision on their homelessness application or awaiting allocation of a settled home following acceptance. Excludes those households designated as homeless at home that have remained in their existing accommodation and have the same rights to suitable alternative accommodation as those in accommodation arranged by the authority. (2) Number of persons sleeping rough are based on local authority counts during the year and presented as a mid-year estimate. If no count takes place during the year an estimate is given by the local authority.  Source: DCLG P1E Homelessness (quarterly) and HSSA (annual) returns. 
		
	
	 (b) The geographical county of Lancashire is made up of 12 district authorities and 2 unitary authorities, Blackburn and Darwen and Blackpool. The totals are in the following table:
	
		
			  (i) Homeless households in temporary accommodation arranged by local authorities in Lancashire, and (ii) the number of rough sleepers in Lancashire 
			   Number of households in temporary accommodation( 1)  (31 March snapshot)  o.w. Unitary authority  o.w. LA districts  Number of rough sleepers, people, mid-year (June) estimate( 2)  o.w. Unitary authority  o.w. LA districts 
			 2001-02 270 52 218 4 4  
			 2002-03 343 76 267 7 4 3 
			 2003-04 360 102 258 3  3 
			 2004-05 444 132 312 21 4 17 
			 2005-06 348 76 272 7 4 3 
			 (1) Households in accommodation at the end of the year (March) either pending a decision on their homelessness application or awaiting allocation of a settled home following acceptance. Excludes those households designated as homeless at home that have remained in their existing accommodation and have the same rights to suitable alternative accommodation as those in accommodation arranged by the authority. (2) Number of persons sleeping rough are based on local authority counts during the year and presented as a mid-year estimate. If no count takes place during the year an estimate is given by the local authority.  Source: DCLG P1E Homelessness (quarterly) and HSSA (annual) returns. 
		
	
	Information on the number of beds available for homeless households is not held centrally.

Housing

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many houses were built in rural areas in each year since 2000.

Yvette Cooper: New build completions data is only available at local authority level therefore it is only possible to measure how many dwellings have been built in local authorities classified as rural by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) rural definition and local authority classification. This will include dwellings built in towns that are within a local authority classified as rural.
	The following number of dwellings were reported to have been built in local authorities classified as rural in England since 2000:
	
		
			  Number 
			  Rural classification  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Significant Rural 20,428 20,109 20,882 21,559 21,974 21,807 
			 Rural-50 19,996 18,651 18,482 18,898 18,407 20,692 
			 Rural-80 21,306 21,098 22,271 21,419 21,709 22,626 
			 Total 61,730 59,858 61,635 61,876 62,090 65,125 
		
	
	For further information on the DEFRA classification please see: http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/rural_resd/rural_definition.asp

Housing

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the latest timetable is for producing guidance and draft regulations under the Housing Act 2004.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			  Housing Act 2004: Timetable For Guidance And Regulations 
			  Provision/Part  Proposed/Actual publication date of regulations and guidance 
			 Part 1 - Housing Conditions The HHSRS (England) Regulations 2005 (3208) were laid on 28 November and came into force on 6 April 2006. The HHSRS Operating Guidance and HHSRS Enforcement Guidance were published in February 2006. 
			 Parts 2, 3, 4 and 7- HMO and Selective Licensing The Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations, the Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Prescribed Descriptions (England) Order, the Licensing and Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation and Other Houses (Miscellaneous Provisions) (England) Regulations, the Selective Licensing of Houses (Specified Exemptions) (England) Order and the Housing (Interim Management Orders) (Prescribed Circumstances) (England) Order were laid on 22 February and came into force on 6 April. The Houses in Multiple Occupation (Specified Educational Establishments) (England) Regulations and the Housing (Approval of Codes of Management Practice) (Student Accommodation) (England) Order were laid on 16 March and came into force on 6 April 2006. The Residential Property Tribunal Procedures (England) Regulations and the Residential Property Tribunal (Fees) (England) Regulations were laid on 23 March and came into force on13 April. Draft regulations relating to section 257 HMOs will be published for limited consultation soon. Explanatory information including leaflets and a dedicated website has been available since March. 
			 Part 4 - Empty Dwelling Management Orders The Housing (Empty Dwelling Management Orders) (Prescribed Exceptions and Requirements) (England) Order and The Housing (Management Orders and Empty Dwelling Management Orders) (Supplemental Provisions) (England) Regulations were laid on 22 February and came into force on 6 April 2006. Non-statutory guidance for local authorities on Empty Dwelling Management Orders will be published in July 2006. 
			 Part 5 - Home Information Packs The Home Information Pack Regulations, Procedural Guidance and Certification Scheme Business and Technical Standards documents were published on 14 June 2006. 
			 Part 6 - Right to Buy modifications The Residential Property Tribunal (Right to Buy Determinations) Procedure (England) Regulations were laid on 13 June 2005 and came into force on 4 July 2005. The Housing (Right to Buy)(Information to Secure Tenants) (England) Order was laid on 5 July 2005 and came into force on 26 July 2005. This Order provides guidance on the provision of information to secure tenants. The Housing (Right of First Refusal) (England) Regulations were laid on20 July 2005 and came into force on 10 August 2005. The guidance booklet 'Your Right to Buy your Home' was revised together with the relevant Right to Buy forms. Guidance on landlords' discretion not to require repayment of discount, which was clarified by section 185 of the Act, was also issued in January 2005. 
			 Part 6 - Suspension of certain rights in connection with anti-social behaviour ASB measures in Part 6 of the Act commenced in June 2005. They include enabling local authorities to extend the period of introductory tenancies and withhold consent to mutual exchange on ASB grounds as well as measures to prevent tenants exercising the right to buy. Regulations regarding the form a review should take where a landlord decides to extend the period of an introductory tenancy came into force on 3 May 2006 
			 Part 6 - Gypsy and Traveller accommodation needs assessments Draft guidance was produced in February 2006 under Section 226 of the Housing Act, in respect of Section 225, relating to the assessment of the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers. This document is subject to further consultation. Definitive guidance will be published in the autumn of 2006. 
			 Part 6 - Tenant Deposit Protection In order to consider stakeholder concerns raised by that consultation, we are reviewing the commencement date and will confirm a date before Parliament rises

Housing

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been allocated for housing renewal in Morecambe since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: There is no specific funding allocation data available for Morecambe.
	Allocations to Lancaster city council of capital funding for housing purposes over the period 1997-98 to 2005-06 exceeds 30 million. This includes the major repairs allowance first introduced in 2001-02 specifically for the improvement of local authority stock alongside the Decent Homes standard which sets out minimum standards to be met by 2010.
	A further 1.9 million was allocated to Lancaster city council by the Regional Housing Board in 2006-07 under priority 1.3 of the Regional Housing Strategy, which seeks to provide a better housing mix in the region's costal towns i.e. Blackpool Morecambe and Fleetwood. This amounted to an 11 per cent. on year increase in funding.
	In addition the North West Development Agency would have contributed towards housing renewal in Morecambe via the Single Regeneration Budget Programme.

Housing

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the number of homes that have been purchased outright by occupiers of affordable housing on a shared ownership or homebuy basis under the Common and Leasehold Reform Act 2003 in  (a) rural and  (b) non-rural areas; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: No data is collected centrally on the number of homes that have been purchased outright, having been originally acquired through shared ownership, or homebuy.
	The Government are keen to expand home ownership through the new homebuy scheme. However, we recognise the need to ensure the longer term supply of affordable housing in rural areas which are subject to particular housing pressures.
	Therefore we will continue to allow housing associations to restrict the outright purchase (staircasing out) of shared ownership or homebuy properties on rural exception sites, where possible and appropriate under leasehold legislation. This flexibility, coupled with the additional safeguards within the homebuy scheme which allow providers to buy back properties when a purchaser who has staircased to full ownership wishes to move, should enable affordable housing to be retained where it is essential to do so and ensure delivery of the rural programme.

Local Government Pension Scheme

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate the Government have made of the total cost of the Local Government Pension Scheme to local authorities  (a) including and  (b) excluding employee contributions in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07 and (iii) 2007-08.

Phil Woolas: Based on the findings of the 2004 actuarial valuation exercise it is estimated that the average cost to local authority employers will be(i) 12.5-13.5 per cent. of pensionable pay in 2005-06; (ii) 14-15 per cent. in 2006-07; (iii) 16-17 per cent. in 2007-08. On average employees will contribute 5.8 per cent. of pensionable payroll as well in each of these years.

Planning

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent guidance the Government Office of the South East has given to councils in relation to special protection areas in the South East.

Yvette Cooper: Government Office for the South East in conjunction with English Nature have advised councils in the vicinity of the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area that there is no moratoriumon housing development in their areas and are encouraging local planning authorities to develop 'mini-plans' of programmes of land or enhancement of existing land which could be used as mitigation against development in the short to medium term.
	English Nature's Thames Basin Heaths SPA Project Delivery Plan, along with other research evidence, will be considered at the Examination in Public of the South East Plan in November. The plan is due to be adopted in 2008 and will set a regional spatial strategy for the South East region with strategic policies on the SPA which will inform local councils' local development frameworks.
	In addition the Government have commissioned further research to inform English Nature's considerations as well as planning considerations which will be concluded later this year.

Railways

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the status is of the appraisal of the Barking-Dagenham-Rainham-Grays-Pitsea 12 car platform lengthening project for funding under the Community Infrastructure Fund.

Yvette Cooper: The announcement of the final tranche of schemes to be funded under the Community Infrastructure Fund (GIF) was made in April 2006 and was placed on both the Department for Transport (DfT) and Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) websites.
	The Barking-Dagenham-Rainham-Grays-Pitsea 12 car platform lengthening project bid was not successful. There were numerous bids for GIF funding and DfT and DCLG ministers had to prioritise schemes against a cash limited fund.

Second Homes

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the costs and benefits of second homes in rural areas.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 10 July 2006
	The Affordable Rural Housing Commission, which was set up by my Department and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, considered the impact of second homes on housing in rural areas. The Government are currently considering their response to the Commission's recommendations in this area.

Energy

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry from which  (a) ministerial colleagues,  (b) hon. Members and  (c) members of the House of Lords he received a submission to the Energy Review; and what criteria were adopted in deciding which of these submissions were posted on the Energy Review pages of his departmental web site.

Malcolm Wicks: All responses to the Energy Review consultation exercise, which closed on 14 April 2006, have been posted on the DTI website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/review/consultation-submissions/page27883.html.

Manufacturing Media Centre

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what financial or other contribution his Department and its agencies are making towardsthe establishment of a Manufacturing Media Centre (MMC); what estimate he has made of the potential total cost of the MMC in each of its first three years; and when he expects the centre to be fully operational.

Margaret Hodge: The Manufacturing Forum Secretariat, which includes officials from the DTI,is working with stakeholders to establish the Manufacturing Media Centre (MMC). The MMC will cost approximately 300,000 per annum and will be funded by contributions from the manufacturing community, mainly from industry. It is planned to launch the MMC by the end of 2006.

Minimum Wage

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people have received the minimum wage in West Lancashire in each year since it was introduced.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Data at the parliamentary constituency level is not available.
	However, the DTI estimates that around 120,000 in the North West stood to benefit from the October 2005 uprating of the national minimum wage.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the potential for a conflict of interest to arise from a board member of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority also being a board member of the Environment Agency.

Malcolm Wicks: Matters such as the potential for conflicts of interest arising as a consequence of membership of the Boards of public bodies are taken fully into account during the recruitment process. The DTI press release of 13 October 2004 announcingthe appointment of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's non executive Board members provided detail on their other appointments and interests. In addition, public bodies maintain records of Board members' interests.

Petrol Prices

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment he has made of petrol prices.

Malcolm Wicks: Information on the typical UK monthly retail price of petrol is given in Table 4.1.1 of the DTI's Quarterly Energy Prices publication (http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/statistics/publications/prices/index.html).
	The rise in petrol prices since the start of the year reflects increases in the price of crude oil on the global market. In response, the Government are continuingto promote international efforts to improve the functioning of the global oil market and to tackle market inefficiencies that contribute to high and volatile crude oil prices.

Power Stations

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research he has evaluated on the efficiency of power stations.

Malcolm Wicks: Table 5.10 of the latest Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics (http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/statistics/source/electricity/pagel8527.html) lists the average thermal efficiencies of large power stations by fuel type. The technical and economic efficiencies of power stations are a commercial matter for generators.

Renewable Energy

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of  (a) energy and  (b) electricity in (i) the UK and (ii) each region was supplied from renewable sources in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Malcolm Wicks: In the United Kingdom in 20041.8 per cent. of inland consumption of primary fuels and equivalents for energy use and 3.6 per cent. of electricity generation was from renewable sources.
	The amount of electricity generated from renewable sources in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and each region of England in 2004 was as follows:
	
		
			   GWh 
			 England 7,111.9 
			 East Midlands 625.7 
			 East 1,583.4 
			 North East 417.0 
			 North West 1,014.8 
			 London 389.9 
			 South East 1,209.5 
			 South West 518.2 
			 West Midlands 651.0 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 702.6 
			   
			 Wales 1,044.0 
			 Scotland 5,853.6 
			 Northern Ireland 148.5 
			   
			 Other sites(1) 9.4 
			 Total 14,167.1 
			 Solar photovoltaics 4.0 
			 UK total 14,171.1 
			 (1) Other sites are sites that have not been attributed to a region so that data related to individual companies are not disclosed when the breakdown by technology is shown in the source table.  Source: DTI Energy Trends, September 2005 Page 24. 
		
	
	Similar statistics for the generation from all sources are not available for the regions of England since this would disclose data for individual companies given to the Department in confidence so percentages for the English regions cannot be calculated. However, percentages for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England as a whole are as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 Scotland 11.48 
			 Wales 2.96 
			 Northern Ireland 2.00 
			 England 2.36 
			 United Kingdom 3.58 
			  Source: DTI Energy Trends December 2005, page 44. 
		
	
	Regional data covering all energy use is produced only for consumption and not for supply. This is because energy produced in one part of the UK may not be consumed in the same part of the UK given that we have national transmissions systems for gas and electricity, and coal and oil products are distributed from mines and refineries to all parts of the country.

Spam E-mails

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he  (a) is taking and  (b) plans to take to reduce the number of spam e-mails originating from abroad received by people in the UK.

Margaret Hodge: The Government introduced statutory controls on spam emails by means of the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003, which was enacted on11 December 2003. The regulations provide a first line of defence against spam originating in the EU where the recipient has no knowledge of the advertiser of the products being marketed. The regulations require that spam must not be sent to an individual subscriber without prior permission or unless there is a previous relationship between the parties. The regulations can be enforced against an offending company or individual anywhere in the EU. There is regular contact between my Department, the Department of Constitutional Affairs and the Information Commissioner's Office on the operation of these regulations.
	The Government recognise that most spam does not come from the UK and has therefore extensively promoted international co-operation. A Memorandum of Understanding was agreed on 2 July 2004 between the enforcement authorities of the United Kingdom, United States and Australia, to reduce the problem by working together to investigate those sending spam. The UK also plays a leading role in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)'s Anti Spam Task Force and other multilateral initiatives. In late 2004, the UK launched the world's first and only anti-spam enforcement network, the London Action Plan, which now spans five continents and includes authorities and industry from countries particularly affected by this issue, such as Nigeria, China and India.
	The end user has a role to play in acting to avoid being a target for those sending spam, as well as acting to filter spam. Information has been made available to the public and to business by the DTI, the Information Commissioner's Office, the Office of Fair Trading as well as a number of sites provided by service and software providers. These messages have been reinforced by the Get Safe Online initiative launched on 27 October 2005. This is an initiative between Government and Industry to help individuals and businesses protect themselves against internet threats, including spam.
	Our response to the problem of spam continues to develop. I have taken careful note of the views of the Information Commissioner's Office on the powers available to him, and DTI officials are working with the Information Commissioner's Office on this matter. The Government are actively considering whether to revise the relevant legislation. DTI officials have a continuing dialogue with internet service providers regarding steps that can be taken to reduce spam. We also continue our efforts to achieve greater international co-operation.

Wholesale Energy Prices

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will establish an inquiry into  (a) wholesale energy prices, (b) the level of competition in the UK energy market and  (c) the impact of energy prices on manufacturing industry.

Malcolm Wicks: Despite sustained benefits from liberalised energy markets over the past decade, the Government fully appreciates that high energy prices do create problems for the competitiveness of industry, and takes very seriously the potential loss of jobs and investment. The Government are leaving no stone unturned, working closely with industry, to find solutions and reduce the impact. The new Business Energy Forum, co-chaired by the Secretary of State and Richard Lambert of the CBI, met for the first time on 5 July and is monitoring this work and looking at other strategic energy issues impacting on business. Higher energy prices in the UK reflect higher global prices, caused by rising demand and supply constraints (for oil and gas), the lack of EU energy market liberalisation, and domestic factors, such as the tight winter supply demand balance in the UK gas market.
	The importance of the Government's activity in pushing for European energy market liberalisation was highlighted in a Global Insight report in 2005. The report estimated that the lack of effective liberalisation and the dominance of oil-linked long-term supply contracts in Europe would cost UK industrial consumers of gas some 2.6 billion over the following year. Ofgem analysis suggests that the cost to UK gas consumers of Interconnector flows not always being in line with price signals during the last winter was1.5 billion and would cost 3 billion if repeated during the coming winter. The European Commission has been active in reviewing competition in gas and electricity markets.
	During the past two years there have been several investigations and reports into competition in UK gas and electricity markets. These include the Ofgem gas price probe, and two inquiries from the Trade and Industry Select Committee. The Ofgem gas price probe found no evidence of anti-competitive behaviour in the UK gas market. More recently, Ofgem published a Domestic Retail Market Report, which concluded that, competition remains effective and vigorous in all segments of the domestic energy market. Independent research by Oxera concluded that in 2004 the UK had the most competitive electricity and gas markets inthe EU and G7 (available at www.dti.gov.uk/files/file28425.pdf).

Zimbabwe

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on UK-Zimbabwe trade relations

Ian McCartney: There has been a substantial fall in UK-Zimbabwe trade in recent years. In 2000, UK and Zimbabwe two-way trade amounted to 143 million. Imports from Zimbabwe were mainly agricultural products with tobacco, making up approximately31 per cent. of the total imports. Exports were mainly manufactured goods, with office machines and ADP equipment topping the table at 5.3 million.
	By 2005, two-way trade had fallen to 66 million. The principal change was in tobacco imports, which fell to 4.8 million from 31 million in 2000 down85 per cent. Exports also fell, with the leading export, road vehicles, topping the table at 3.5 million. The decline in trade can be attributed to the policies of the Government of Zimbabwe which have brought about the fall of both imports and exports.
	A breakdown of UK exports and imports by sector for 2004 and 2005 is shown in the following table.
	HMG have not imposed any economic sanctions or restrictions on doing business in Zimbabwe and two-way trade continues, although as the aforementioned figures show, at a substantially reduced level. It is our view that economic sanctions would harm the people of Zimbabwe at a time of humanitarian crisis, while having very little impact on the ZANU (PF) leadership. The people of Zimbabwe have suffered enough.
	
		
			  UK trade with Zimbabwe 
			  Division and description  000 
			  Top 10 UK exports  
			  2004  
			 75 Office machines and ADP equipment 4,878 
			 78 Road vehicles 4,563 
			 76 Telecommunications and sound recording and reproducing apparatus 2,648 
			 72 Specialised industrial machinery 1,807 
			 74 General industrial machinery and equipment, nes and machine parts nes 1,590 
			 77 Electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, nes and electrical parts thereof 1,111 
			 71 Power generating machinery and equipment 899 
			 87 Professional, scientific and control instruments (and apparatus nes) 557 
			 67 Iron and steel 505 
			 26 Textile fibres 498 
			 Total of top 10 19,056 
			 Total trade 26,005 
			   
			  2005  
			 78 Road vehicles 3,473 
			 75 Office machines and ADP equipment 3,379 
			 72 Specialised industrial machinery 2,370 
			 76 Telecommunications and sound recording and reproducing apparatus 1,545 
			 74 General industrial machinery and equipment, nes and machine parts nes 1,528 
			 71 Power generating machinery and equipment 1,238 
			 00 Live animals other than of Div. 03 740 
			 26 Textile fibres 716 
			 87 Professional, scientific and control instruments (and apparatus nes) 702 
			 77 Electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, nes and electrical parts thereof 670 
			 Total of top 10 16,362 
			 Total trade 22,113 
			   
			  Top 10 UK imports  
			  2004  
			 06 Sugar, sugar preparations and honey 22,554 
			 05 Vegetables and fruit 8,185 
			 12 Tobacco and tobacco manufactures 8,182 
			 82 Furniture and parts thereof; bedding, mattresses, supports, cushions and similar stuffed furnishings 1,675 
			 66 Non-metallic mineral manufactures 1,256 
			 07 Coffee, tea, cocoa, spices and manufactures thereof 1,212 
			 68 Non-ferrous metals 956 
			 65 Textile yarn, fabrics, made-up articles, nes 935 
			 76 Telecommunications and sound recording and reproducing apparatus 464 
			 29 Crude animal and vegetable materials 317 
			 Total of top 10 45,736 
			 Total trade 47,779 
			   
			  2005  
			 66 Non-metallic mineral manufactures 14,970 
			 06 Sugar, sugar preparations and honey 13,087 
			 05 Vegetables and fruit 7,182 
			 12 Tobacco and tobacco manufactures 4,768 
			 82 Furniture and parts thereof; bedding, mattresses, supports, cushions and similar stuffed furnishings 912 
			 07 Coffee, tea, cocoa, spices and manufactures thereof 495 
			 65 Textile yarn, fabrics, made-up articles, nes 374 
			 67 Iron and steel 217 
			 84 Articles of apparel and clothing accessories 144 
			 79 Other transport equipment 117 
			 Total of top 10 42,266 
			 Total trade 43,564 
			  Source: DTI Analysis of HM Revenue and Customs data.

Data Protection

James Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2006,  Official Report, column 92W, on data protection, what longest period of time has elapsed for HM Revenue and Customs to respond to its satisfaction to a subject access request in the first instance.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 13 July 2006
	The response meeting this description was the case cited in my reply of 26 June. The original letter was an appeal against a separate HMRC decision, although it also contained a subject access request.

EU Budget

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department has taken to reduce UK contributions to the EU budget since 1997; what reductions have been made in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: The UK's contributions to the EC Budget are determined in accordance with the Own Resources Decision, details of which can be found at paragraph 2.15 of the European Community Finances White Paper (Cm 6770, page 7). The level of these contributions is also dependent in negotiation of the annual EC Budget and HM Treasury plays an active role in these discussions, see below. The UK's contributions fluctuate from year to year as can be seen in Tables 31 and 3.2 of the European Community Finances White Paper (Cm 6770, page 15 and 17). These fluctuations occur for a variety of reasons, as explained in paragraph 3.6 of the European Community Finances White Paper (Cm 6770, page 15).
	The Government also participate in Council negotiations on the setting of the annual budget, where we seek to control budget growth in line with genuine needs and implementation capacity, and to focus spending where it adds most value and is most cost effective. This budget disciplined approach helps restrict the growth in UK contributions.
	Of course most of the annual budget is pre-set by treaty obligations and multi-annual spending programmes. Furthermore the UK is but one of 25 member states. Decisions in the Council on the annual budget are taken by Qualified Majority, and the final budget must be agreed with the European Parliament. Nevertheless by working effectively with like-minded member states, the Government are able to influence the outcome.
	In the last five years Council/EP negotiations have amended the Commission's preliminary draft budget (PDB) proposal and these figures are published annually in the European Community Finances White Paper.

Income Tax

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much income tax was paid on average per household in each of the last three financial years; and what estimate he has made of the average amount of tax which will be paid in 2006-07.

Dawn Primarolo: Information can be found on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) website in table 14, Average incomes, taxes and benefits by decile groups of all households in the article The effects of taxes and benefits on household income from the ONS' Economic Trends publications.
	 For 2004-05:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/articles/economic trends/ET_May_Francis_Jones.pdf
	 For 2003-04:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/articles/nojournal/taxesbenefits200304/taxesbenefits200304.pdf
	 For 2002-03:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/articles/economic_trends/ET607Lakin.pdf
	Similar information for 2005-06 and 2006-07 is not yet available.

National Lottery

Kate Hoey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the tax yield to the Treasury on National Lottery ticket sales has been in each year since it was launched.

John Healey: The information requested is publicly available on the UK Trade Info website (http://www.uktradeinfo.com).

National Lottery

Kate Hoey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether VAT is charged on the construction of sports facilities funded by the national lottery.

John Healey: Under European agreements we may keep our zero rates, but may not extend them or introduce new ones.
	VAT is chargeable on the construction of all new non-residential buildings, other than those that will be used at least 90 per cent. for a relevant charitable purposesuch as free-of-charge activities provided by a charity, or as a village hall or similar.
	Where VAT is chargeable on construction and is not reclaimable through the VAT system, it is reasonable to expect this cost to be taken into account when an organisation makes a bid for national lottery funding.

Parliamentary Questions

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many parliamentary questions tabled to his Department were awaiting a reply on 10 July 2006; which of those had been waiting longer than  (a) two and  (b) three weeks for a reply; and what the reason for the delay was in each case.

John Healey: Treasury Ministers endeavour to answer parliamentary questions promptly wherever possible. Of the 173 written questions which were awaiting answer on 10 July, 119 had been received at least a fortnight previously and 85 of these questions had been received at least three weeks previously.
	Treasury Ministers had answered 5,252 questions in the present session up to 10 July. For the Treasury's performance in answering written questions within the timescales set by the House, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr Laws) on 11 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 1724-5W.

Sniffer Dogs

James Paice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many meat detector sniffer dogs were employed at each UK  (a) port and  (b) airport in each of the last six years.

Dawn Primarolo: Meat detection dogs were introduced by DEFRA in 2002, and were transferred to HMRC in 2003. The number of products of animal origin detector dogs used at ports and airports in Great Britain since 2002 is in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of dogs 
			 2002 2 
			 2003 2 
			 2004 6 
			 2005 10 
			 2006 9 (+2 in training) 
		
	
	These dogs are employed on a mobile basis across Great Britain.
	We cannot disclose further information about the deployment of the dogs as this would provide information of value to those seeking to circumvent HM Revenue  Customs' controls, thereby prejudicing the prevention and detection of crime.

Statutory Instruments

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what occasions a statutory instrument sponsored by his Department has been reported by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments as defective since October 2005.

John Healey: Since October 2005, two statutory instruments sponsored by HM Treasury have been reported by the JCSI as defective:
	One in their report of 2 November 2005, and
	One in their report of 8 November 2005.
	In addition one instrument sponsored by HM Revenue and Customs was so reported in the Committee's report of 1 February 2006.

Taskforce on Migration Statistics

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the taskforce on Migration Statistics to report to Ministers; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 17 July 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the Taskforce on Migration Statistics to report to Ministers. (85002)
	The aim of the Task Force is to report to me, as National Statistician, by the end of August, making recommendations on timely improvements that could be made to the estimates of migration and migrant populations in the United Kingdom, both nationally and at local level. I will report to Ministers in October, after the Parliamentary recess.

Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many frauds involving claims for tax credits have been found to be based on false identities in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05 and  (c) 2005-06; and how much was paid in respect of fraudulent claims based on false identities in each year.

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2006,  Official Report, column 557W, on tax credits, 
	(1)  how much had been paid out to the 22,284 claims in payment that were stopped; on what dates he met the Paymaster General to discuss the problem of tax credit fraud; how many calls to the helpline have been received where fraud is suspected; and if he will commission an independent review into tax credit fraud;
	(2)  how many tax credit claims in payment have been stopped since June 2004 because of fraud or suspected fraud; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many employees of Network Rail had their identities used in tax credit fraud in 2005-06; what the cost to the Exchequer was; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what his estimate is of the scale of identity fraud in relation to tax credits; how many tax credits staff have been involved in identity fraud since 2003-04; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  what recent action his Department has taken to reduce the level of tax credit fraud;
	(6)  what his latest estimate is of the cost of tax credit fraud for each quarter from April 2003 to April 2006; and if he will make a statement;
	(7)  what his latest estimate is of the number of people who experienced identity fraud as a result of tax credits fraud in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07 to date; and if he will make a statement;
	(8)  what his latest estimate is of the level of (a) fraud and (b) error in respect of tax credit payments in (i) 2003-04 and (ii) 2004-05; and if he will make a statement;
	(9)  when he plans to publish the final assessment of tax credit fraud for 2003-04; and if he will make a statement;
	(10)  what his latest estimates are of the number of cases of tax credit fraud in each reporting period since 2001-02; and if he will make a statement;
	(11)  if he will make a statement on the level of fraud in claims for the childcare tax credit;
	(12)  how many tax credit claims have been stopped due to fraud and suspicion of fraud in each month from January to May; and if he will make a statement;
	(13)  if he will make a statement on tax credit fraud by people claiming as lone parents;
	(14)  what assessment he has made of the level of tax credit fraud by people claiming disabled worker status;
	(15)  what information on tax credit fraud his Department has made available to the National Audit Office since 1 January; and if he will make a statement;
	(16)  how many planned measures to reduce tax credit fraud had not been implemented as at 1 June 2006; and if he will make a statement;
	(17)  on what date he sent the National Audit Office estimates of tax credit fraud and error for 2003-04 based upon the assessment of a sample of 4,700 cases;
	(18)  whether  (a) Ministers and  (b) special advisers have seen (i) drafts and (ii) a final version of the HM Revenue and Customs report into tax credit fraud and error which was due to be published in spring 2006; and if he will make a statement;
	(19)  what his latest estimate is of the breakdown between  (a) fraud,  (b) official error and  (c) claimant error in the existing estimates for tax credit fraud and error; and if he will make a statement;
	(20)  if he will publish the report received by the Paymaster General in June 2005 on suspected fraudulent activity in the tax credits system; and if he will make a statement.

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether randomised sample tax credit cases are tested to ensure residency criteria are complied with.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer my right hon. Friend and the hon. Members to the statement I made to the House on 11 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 1281-82. I refer them also to the HMRC publications Child and Working Tax Credits: Error and fraud statistics 2003-04 and Tackling error and fraud in the Child and Working Tax Credits, available on the HMRC website at www.hmrc.gov.uk/news/index.htm., and to HM Revenue and Customs 2005-06 Accounts: The Comptroller and Auditor General's Standard Report, part 2, available at http://www.nao.org.uk/pn/05-06/05061159.htm.

Bullying

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many incidents of bullying were recorded in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in Suffolk in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: We are unable to provide this information because we do not collect these data centrally. However, individual schools may record incidents of bullying and some local authorities keep records for their own area, which we welcome as best practice within our anti-bullying guidance to schools, Don't Suffer in Silence.
	Since 2003-04, however, we have collected data on the reasons for exclusions from schools. In the 2004/05 academic year, 130 pupils were permanently excluded and 7,680 were given fixed period exclusions for bullying. This information comes from the Statistical First Release on Permanent and Fixed Period Exclusion from Schools and Exclusion Appeals in England, 2004/05.

Bullying

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many incidents of bullying of teachers by  (a) their peers and  (b) management have been reported in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department for Education and Skills does not record the information you have requested. Bullying of teachers by anyone is unacceptable. Teachers who feel that they have been subjected to bullying should report incidents to their employer and, where appropriate, their professional association immediately.

Children Leaving Care

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many young people in West Lancashire who left care in 2005 stayed in  (a) their own house,  (b) with friends and  (c) in hostel or bed and breakfast accommodation.

Parmjit Dhanda: Information on young people who left care in 2005 is not available by the breakdown requested. However, the following table shows how many young people in Lancashire who left care in 2005 had as their last placement, a placement in  (a) an independent living,  (b) with own parents and  (c) in home and hostels. Note that a placement in independent living includes staying in a flat, or staying in lodgings without supported staff, staying in a bed and breakfast and finally staying with friends. Information at constituency level is not collected centrally.
	
		
			  Children who ceased to be looked after in 2005 whose last placement was in independent livings, with own parents or in homes and hostels( 1) 
			  Number 
			   Placements( 2) 
			   All children( 3)  Independent livings( 4)  Own parents( 5)  Homes and hostels( 6)  Others( 7) 
			 England (national) 25,600 1,500 2,500 2,500 19,100 
			 Lancashire (local authority) 515 25 65 80 340 
			 (1) Historical data may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments and corrections sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials.  (2) To maintain the confidentiality of each individual child, data at national level are rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000, to the nearest 10 otherwise. At local authority level data are rounded to the nearest 5. As a consequence of our rounding and suppression, figures may not sum to the total.  (3) Total number of children looked after who left care in 2005.  (4) Independent livings include in flat or lodgings without formal support staff, or in bedsit, BB, or with friends.  (5) Own parents means placed with own parents or other person with parental responsibility.  
			 (6) Homes and hostels inside and outside local authority boundary.  (7) Others include looked after children placed for adoption, in foster placement with relatives or friends, in other foster placements provided by the local authority or provided by an agency, in residential employment, in secure units, in residential accommodation not subject to regulation, in other residential care home, in schools, in temporary placements, children missing from placements, children missing from care and others placements not listed above.   Source:  DfESFigures are taken from the SSDA903 return which since 2003-04 covered all looked after children.

Children Leaving Care

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what support services are available to young people leaving care in West Lancashire to help them deal with the financial and practical aspects of independent living.

Parmjit Dhanda: Services to care-leavers in Lancashire are provided directly by the Lancashire county council. Services for care leavers in West Lancashire are co-ordinated by the county's south area leaving care team which supports young people who live in a wide area, from Skelmersdale up to the boundaries of Preston and Southport.
	Every care leaver must have a pathway plan based on an assessment of their personal needs, setting out the services that will be necessary to support them to greater independence. Leaving care services in the West Lancashire area draw on a wide range of professional staff to contribute to the support of individual care leavers including foster carers, children's homes staff, social workers, specialist leaving care staff, Connexions staff and specialist welfare rights and housing staff. Care leavers in West Lancashire also have opportunities to take up work experience arranged by the Looked After Children Employment Skills (LACES) project.
	The exact level of financial support provided to any care leaver will be recorded in the individual's pathway plan. Up until the age of eighteen, the local authority will usually be his/her primary source of income. Lancashire, as is the case for other local authorities, is responsible for funding accommodation, maintenance and other expenses (e.g. travel and leisure costs). Once care leavers reach 18, they are then entitled to have access to the same mainstream arrangements for obtaining financial help as other young people. It will be the role of their leaving care personal adviser to assist them to access this help. However Lancashire, as the responsible local authority, has a continuing duty to provide assistance, for as long as the young person remains in an approved programme, with the costs of education or training.

Children Leaving Care

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many  (a) leaving-care workers and  (b) personal advisors are available to young people leaving care in West Lancashire constituency; and how regularly they have contact with individual clients on average.

Parmjit Dhanda: Services to care leavers in Lancashire are provided directly by Lancashire county council. Services for care leavers in West Lancashire are provided by the south area leaving care team. This team comprises a manager, one qualified social worker, one support worker, two leaving care co-ordinators and an administrator. Two members on this team are specifically available to provide support as leaving care personal advisers.
	The level of contact that is maintained with each individual care leaver depends on their personal needs. In Lancashire, where young people entitled to care leaving services continue to remain looked after by the local authority, then their social workers must visit at least every three months. However, when young people are being actively prepared to leave care, contact will be far more frequent than this and where a young person requires intensive support, contact might take place several times a week. The team estimates that, on average, all care leavers in West Lancashire are seen at least fortnightly.
	Young people are also able to make contact with the leaving care team without formal appointments. They make regular contact by phone, occasionally write letters or e-mail and increasingly prefer to communicate by text message. All young people have their social worker's mobile phone number and if they leave a message in working hours their social worker will aim to respond the same day.

Children's Centres

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent on children's centres in each year since 2003.

Beverley Hughes: The delivery of first phase Children's Centres began in 2003-04, with expenditure during this period totalling 2.2 million capital and 1.9 million revenue. For the period 2004-06, local authorities were allocated 111 million revenue and 315 million capital funding for Children's Centres.
	In addition to this funding, we allocated 313 million capital to Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLP) in 2004-06 and we expect that most of this budget would have been used to facilitate SSLPs to become Children's Centres.

Deaf Children

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of deaf 11-year-olds achieved level 4 at Key Stage 2 in  (a) reading,  (b) writing and  (c) mathematics in (i) West Lancashire and (ii) Lancashire in each year since 1996.

Parmjit Dhanda: We cannot provide information relating specifically to deaf pupils. However, in 2004 information on type of Special Educational Need (SEN) was collected for the first time via the Pupil Level Annual School Census for those pupils at School Action Plus and with statements of SEN. The type of SEN indicator includes a category for those pupils with Hearing Impairment and information for the pupils who have Hearing Impairment listed as their primary SEN is provided in the following table. Other pupils with statements of SEN or School Action Plus who may have a hearing impairment but for whom this is not listed as their primary SEN are not included in this table.
	
		
			  KS2 achievements for 11 year old pupils( 1)  at School Action Plus and with statements of SEN, with hearing impairments as their Primary SEN, in all maintained schools, 2003/04 to 2004/05( 2) 
			   Lancashire LA( 3)  England 
			   2004/05  2003/04  2004/05  2003/04 
			 Number of eligible 11-year-old pupils(4) in Reading 48 31 1,486 970 
			 Number achieving level 4+ in Reading(5) 30 17 911 478 
			 Percentage achieving level 4+ in Reading 62.5 54.8 61.3 49.3 
			 Number of eligible 11-year-old pupils(4) in Writing 48 31 1,486 970 
			 Number achieving level 4+ in Writing(5) 24 8 565 309 
			 Percentage achieving level 4+ in Writing 50.0 25.8 38.0 31.9 
			 Number of eligible 11-year-old pupils(4) in Maths 48 31 1,503 975 
			 Number achieving level 4+ in Maths(5) 29 15 793 426 
			 Percentage achieving level 4+ in Maths 60.4 48.4 52.8 43.7 
			 (1) Number of KS2 eligible pupils with a valid result.(2) Including attempts and achievement in previous academic years.(3) Figures for West Lancashire have not been provided as the number of pupils involved is too small.(4) Numbers relate to pupils with a statement of SEN or School Action Plus and with hearing impairment as their primary SEN who were eligible for the KS2 test.(5) Maths results are checked by schools as part of the checking exercise for the Primary School Achievement and Attainment Tables. Reading and Writing results are not checked by schools.

Departmental Publications

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the unnumbered Command Papers produced by his Department in each Session since 1976; by what means (a) hon. Members and  (b) members of the public can (i) inspect and (ii) obtain copies; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Documents which are laid before Parliament as unnumbered Command Papers are generally restricted to Explanatory Notes to Treaties, Explanatory Memorandum to Statutory Instruments and some Treasury Minutes. All other documents are published in the numbered Command Papers series.
	A complete list of unnumbered Command Papers only be produced can at disproportionate cost.
	Copies of all unnumbered Command Papers are made available via the Vote Office.

Edison Schools

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what  (a) meetings Ministers have held and  (b) correspondence Ministers have exchanged with Edison Schools in the last two years.

Jim Knight: Lord Andrew Adonis had a breakfast meeting with Chris Whittle of Edison Schools on 1 December. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no other meetings or correspondence between Ministers and Edison Schools. A visit was made to Thorpe Bay School, Southend, by my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State (Ruth Kelly) in January 2006. Thorpe Bay School has benefited from school improvement support from Edison, but we are not aware that the Secretary of State met any Edison representative on this occasion.

Environmental Standards

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether his Department  (a) is committed to the achievement of environmental management to ISO 14001 standard and  (b) has been externally certified as in compliance with that standard; and if he will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The New Framework for Sustainable Development in Government (the Framework) targets mandate Government to have Environmental Management Systems based, or modelled upon, a recognised system.
	The Department has commissioned consultants to introduce a Sustainable Operations Management System (SOMS) into all DfES HQ buildings in this financial year.
	The new system will be based upon the ISO 14001:2004 standard but is not currently required to achieve accreditation to that standard.

Further Education

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students from the London borough of Bexley applied for  (a) university,  (b) college and  (c) other further education places in (i) 2003-04 and (ii) 2004-05.

Bill Rammell: Information on applicants to undergraduate course is collected by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). The figures cover students who apply to full-time courses via UCAS, but they exclude students who apply to part-time courses and those who apply for full-time courses directly to institutions.
	Data on the number of students living in the London borough of Bexley applying to full time undergraduate courses through UCAS are given in the table.
	There is no comparable central organisation which processes applications to further education courses; students apply directly to the relevant FE institution.
	
		
			  Applicants from the London borough of Bexley applying through UCAS to full time undergraduate courses at UK institutions 
			  Year of entry  Applicants 
			 2003 entry 1,314 
			 2004 entry 1,273 
			  Source: Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) 
		
	
	In terms of the students from Bexley actually enrolling on courses, the available information covering enrolments at English further education institutions and full time and part time undergraduate entrants at UK higher education institutions is given in the table.
	
		
			  Students( 1)  from the London borough of Bexley at further and higher education institutions 
			  Type of Institution  2003/04  2004/05 
			 Learners at FE institutions:   
			 General FE and tertiary 4,880 9,170 
			 Sixth form college 30 90 
			 Other college 245 370 
			 External institution 1,495 2,940 
			 Entrants to HE institutions 2,060 2,135 
			 (1) Covers students on both full-time and part-time courses. Council (LSC) Individualised Learner record (ILR).HE entrant figures are on a HESA Standard Registration Population basis.Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record data and the Learning and Skills

Gifted Pupils

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children from each school in Brent are members of the National Association for Gifted and Talented Youth Scheme.

Jim Knight: The number of members of National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth (NAGTY) in each maintained school in Brent is set out in the following table. Membership of NAGTY is available to pupils aged 11-19 in the top 5 per cent. of the ability range.
	
		
			  Brent local authority area schools  NAGTY members 
			  Academy  
			 Capital City Academy 18 
			   
			  Secondarycommunity  
			 Wembley High Technology College 28 
			   
			  Secondaryfoundation  
			 Alperton Community School 2 
			 Claremont High School 0 
			 Copeland (A Specialist Science Community College) 18 
			 John Kelly Boys' Technology College 0 
			 John Kelly Girls' Technology College 48 
			 Kingsbury High School 32 
			 Preston Manor High School 92 
			 Queen's Park Community School 66 
			   
			  Secondaryvoluntary aided  
			 Cardinal Hinsley High School 0 
			 Convent of Jesus and Mary Language College 36 
			 JFS School 5 
			 St. Gregory RC High School 68 
			   
			 Total NAGTY membership in Brent 413

Kings Copse Primary School

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what criteria have been taken into account in the advice of the school playing field advisory panel not to redevelop the Kings Copse primary school, in Hedge End, Southampton; what account was taken of educational provision for Hedge End as a whole; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Government remains committed to protecting school playing fields. In this respect there is a general presumption against the need to change the current pattern of school playing field provision by disposal or change of use. However, some playing fields can be genuinely surplus and it can make sense to allow them to be sold and the proceeds used to provide new or improved sports or education facilities.
	In the first instance, applications to dispose of school playing fields are considered by the independent school playing fields advisory panel. Each application is considered against strict criteria. Briefly, these fall under three headings which can be described as schools' needs, community use, and finance.
	In this particular case, the panel considered that Hampshire county council's application in respect of Kings Copse primary school failed to demonstrate how the schools' needs and finance criteria would be met.
	In accordance with normal procedure Hampshire county council will be given an opportunity to address the panel's concerns at its next meeting on 7 September 2006.

Learning and Skills Council

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of Learning and Skills Council funded learners aged over 19 years are studying for a  (a) level 1,  (b) level 2,  (c) level 3,  (d) level 4 and  (e) other qualifications; and what proportion are not studying for a qualification.

Bill Rammell: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) funds learning which is (a) for externally accredited qualifications, (b) for qualifications which aren't externally accredited (e.g. college certificated) and (c) non-qualification based.
	It is possible to distinguish learning programmes by leveleven where that learning is non-qualification based. That is shown in the table which gives the number (in thousands) and proportion of learners aged 19 and over on LSC funded Further Education (FE), Work Based Learning (WBL) and Adult and Community Learning (ACL now know as personal and community development learning (PCDL)) provision in 2004-05.
	
		
			  Highest qualification level of learner  WBL learners (thousand)  WBL (percentage)  FE learners (thousand)  FE (percentage)  ACL learners (thousand)  ACL (percentage) 
			 Level 1 and Entry 3 1 1,489 43 814 91 
			 Level 2 118 52 968 28 58 7 
			 Level 3 103 45 475 14 14 2 
			 Level 4, 5 and HE 3 1 70 2 0 0 
			 Level not specified 0 0 475 14 4 0 
		
	
	However, it is not possible to fully distinguish between qualification and non-qualification based learning across all LSC funded learning. Non-accredited learning is currently funded mainly through safeguard personal and community development funding (PCDL), but also within WBL and FE. In WBL, Entry to Employment (a programme of other training and life skills for learners not in employment) has been introduced in response to the Cassells Review of Modern Apprenticeships. Funding for internally certificated learning is also available through FE institutions. Additionally, courses co-financed with European funding are not necessarily qualification based.
	However, in 2004-05 it is estimated that 39 per cent. of FE learners and 98 per cent. of PCDL learners were taking non-externally accredited courses (which could be either qualifications which aren't externally accredited or non-qualification based).

Out-of-school Clubs

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent on out-of-school clubs as part of the National Childcare Strategy in each year since 1997; how many clubs received funding in each year; how often children attended such clubs in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: As part of the National Childcare Strategy, the Department has made funding available to local authorities since 1999 for childcare provision of a range of types, including out of school clubs. However, information on expenditure specifically for out of school clubs, or attendance at such clubs, is not held centrally.

Pathfinder Grants

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the value of Government pathfinder grants offered to Greater London local authorities was in  (a) 2004 and  (b) 2005, broken down by local authority.

Jim Knight: The following table shows the value of significant Government pathfinder grants offered to Greater London authorities by the DfES in 2004 and 2005. In some cases resource was allocated over two years and separate figures for the two years are not available.
	
		
			  Pathfinder grants made available to Greater London authorities by DfES in 2004-05 and 2005-06( 1) 
			   
			   Enterprise learning pathfinders( 2)  Key stage 2 language pathfinders( 2)  15-19 pathfinders( 3)  (academic year)  Building schools for the future pathfinders( 4)  Early support pathfinders 
			  Local authority  2004-05  2004-05  2004-05  2005-06  2005-06  2004-06 
			 Barking and Dagenham 0 88,150 0 0 0 200,000 
			 Barnet 38,000 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Bexley 3,500 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Brent 36,200 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Bromley 116,571 0 0 0 0 158,900 
			 Camden 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 City of London 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Croydon 50,000 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Ealing 0 0 0 0 0 200,000 
			 Enfield 0 100,000 0 0 0 236,000 
			 Greenwich 130,000 0 0 0 (3)213,025,000 0 
			 Hackney 185,000 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 18,000 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Haringey 72,000 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Harrow 0 0 384,778 0 0 159,000 
			 Havering 11,000 0 0 0 0 235,000 
			 Hillingdon 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hounslow 110,940 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Islington 0 0 369,084 242,000 0 0 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kingston upon Thames 76,770 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Lambeth 15,000 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Lewisham 10,200 0 250,000 0 (4)98,985.000 0 
			 Merton 24,000 0 0 0 0 200,000 
			 Newham 64,500 0 265,000 0 0 0 
			 Redbridge 63,400 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Richmond upon Thames 0 159,165 0 0 0 0 
			 Southwark 0 0 705,700 372,000 0 0 
			 Sutton 0 0 0 0 0 294,000 
			 Tower Hamlets 210,500 0 659,591 0 0 0 
			 Waltham Forest 0 0 0 0 0 200,000 
			 Wandsworth 75,000 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Westminster 67,828 0 560,000 0 0 0 
			 Total London 1,378,409 347,315 3,194,153 614,000 312,010,000 1,882,900 
			 (1) No money was paid out for diversity pathfinders in either year. (2) Pathfinder ended in 2004-05. (3) Partly paid through Learning and Skills Council. (4) Pathfinder began in 2005-06.  Notes: 1. Includes 116 million of PFI credits. 2. Includes 58 million of PFI credits.

Primary Teachers

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether there is an oversupply of qualified primary school teachers.

Jim Knight: On a national basis there is no evidence of oversupply, but there will of course be differences between regions. The table shows that most regions do have vacancies for primary teachers.
	A survey conducted by the Training and Development Agency for Schools this year among 6,590 newly qualified primary teachers showed that 95 per cent. had teaching jobs.
	This Department periodically reviews the need for teachers in future years and this informs the number of training places that will be offered. The model takes account of such factors as falling pupil rolls, retirements and teachers returning to the profession after having children.
	
		
			  Table 4: Full-time vacancy( 1)  rates in LA maintained nursery and primary schools in England by grade and Government Office Region:  January of each year 
			   Vacancies as a percentage of teachers in post( 2)  Number of vacancies 
			   1997  1998  19991  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006(p)  2006 (p) 
			 All vacancies 0.6 0.8 0.8 0.8 1.2 1.0 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.4 700 
			  Grade(3,4)
			 Head or Deputy/Assistant 0.9 1.4 13 1.0 1.2 1.0 0.8 0.7 0.8 0.8 280 
			 Head 0.6 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.5 0.5 0.7 0.7 130 
			 Deputy head/Assistant head 1.3 2.0 1.7 1.3 1.8 1.2 1.1 1.0 0.8 0.9 150 
			 Classroom teacher 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 1.2 1.1 0.6 0.4 0.4 0.3 420 
			  Government Office Region
			 North East 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.3 0.6 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.3 30 
			 North West 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 60 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 0.1 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.8 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 70 
			 East Midlands 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.6 0.7 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 50 
			 West Midlands 0.2 0.4 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.3 70 
			 East of England 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.7 1.6 0.8 0.6 0.5 0.5 90 
			 London(5) 1.7 2.5 2.3 2.0 3.3 2.4 1.7 1.0 1.0 1.0 250 
			 South East 0.8 0.8 0.8 1.0 1.6 1.1 0.8 0.4 0.3 0.3 70 
			 South West 0.5 0.6 0.4 0.7 0.6 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 30 
			 England excluding London 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.9 0.8 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.3 460 
			 Total vacancies (numbers) 1,090 1,390 1,370 1,420 2,110 1,800 1,110 780 740 700  
			 (p) Provisional  (1.)Advertised vacancies for full-time permanent appointments (or appointments of at least one term's duration). Includes vacancies being filled on a temporary basis of less than one term. See notes to editors paragraph 26 for further details.  (2) Teachers in post include full-time qualified regular teachers in (or on secondment from) maintained nursery and primary schools, plus the primary portion of full-time regular divided service, peripatetic, advisory and miscellaneous teachers.  (3).The number of teachers in post by grade is from the 618g survey for 2001 onwards, previous years were estimated using the Database of Teacher Records.  (4) The role of assistant head was created in 2001.  (5) The 2006 vacancy rates for the inner and the outer London weighting areas are 1.3 per cent. and 0.6 per cent. respectively, (in 2005 they were 1.2 per cent and 0.8per cent). Totals may not appear to equal the sum of the component parts because of rounding.   Source:  618g survey

Private Finance Initiative

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills by what total amount private finance initiative projects for which his Department is responsible which went over budget did so in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department for Education and Skills does not itself undertake private finance initiative (PFI) projects. PFI projects for the provision of schools are delivered through contracts between local authorities and private sector contractors.
	There are currently 100 such projects with signed contracts covering over 800 schools. The names, locations and other details of these schools can be accessed at www.teachernet.gov.uk/pfi.
	A key aspect of the private finance initiative is that the risk of projects going over budget in the construction phase is transferred to the private sector contractor and we do not have information on any such costs that may have accrued to various private sector contractors for this reason. The public sector does not pay anything until the contracted services are available and thereafter payments are linked to satisfactory performance and availability.

School Meals

James McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to reduce the quantity of trans fats present in school meals;
	(2)  whether he has set a maximum limit for the amount of trans fats to be present in school meals.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 12 July 2006
	The School Meals Review Panel considered the need for a specific standard for trans-fatty acids to be included within their proposals, and concluded against imposing a specific standard for the following reasons:
	Evidence shows that adult intakes of trans-fatty acids are well below the maximum threshold level for health;
	Adopting a standard to limit the fat content of school meals would contribute towards controlling levels of trans-fatty acids; and
	Food-based standards would include restrictions on foods which tend to be higher in trans-fatty acids (for example, savoury snacks and confectionery).
	The School Food Trust supported the panel's view that their proposals would sufficiently control trans-fatty acids, and that there was no need to develop a specific standard for trans-fatty acids which had the potential to complicate the new standards unnecessarily, making it more difficult for schools and local authorities to implement them.

School Places Appeals

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many appeals have been made by parents to Milton Keynes council in each of the last five years over the award of school places; and how many of these appeals were successful.

Jim Knight: holding answer 13 July 2006
	The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Appeals lodged by parents against non-admission of their children to maintained primary and secondary schoolseach academic year: 2000/01 to 2004-05Milton Keynes local authority area 
			   Maintained primary 
			Appeals heard  Appeals decided in parents favour 
			   Admission appeals lodged by parents  Number( 1)  Percentage  Number  Percentage( 2) 
			 2000/01 50 39 78.0 17 43.6 
			 2001/02 132 87 65.9 25 28.7 
			 2002/03 78 53 67.9 11 20.8 
			 2003/04 80 60 75.0 20 33.3 
			 2004/05 101 63 62.4 31 49.2 
		
	
	
		
			   Maintained secondary 
			Appeals heard  Appeals decided in parents favour 
			   Admission appeals lodged by parents  Number  Percentage( 1)  Number  Percentage( 2) 
			 2000/01 230 207 90.0 92 44.4 
			 2001/02 125 90 72.0 29 32.2 
			 2002/03 227 205 90.3 90 43.9 
			 2003/04 200 170 85.0 50 29.4 
			 2004/05 424 371 87.5 127 34.2 
			 (1) Number of appeals heard by a committee expressed as a percentage of the number of appeals lodged by parents. (2) Number of appeals decided in parents' favour expressed as a percentage of the number of appeals heard by a committee.  Source: Schools Census and Admission Appeals Survey

Schools (Employee Vetting)

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance his Department gives schools on the subject of vetting potential employees; and what changes to this guidance are planned should the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Bill [Lords] be passed.

Parmjit Dhanda: Pre-appointment vetting checks are necessary to ensure that people who are appointed to work with children are safe to do so. My Department's guidance to schools on the vetting of potential employees is contained in Child Protection: Preventing Unsuitable People from Working with Children in the Education Service (May 2002) and Criminal Records Bureau: Managing the Demand for Disclosures (December 2002).
	As the Secretary of State announced on 20 June, we are preparing consolidated guidance to replace these documents. This will be issued for consultation shortly.
	The guidance will be further revised in the light of the requirements placed on schools by the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Bill.

Specialist School Teachers

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of vacancies for trained specialist school teachers in  (a) English,  (b) mathematics,  (c) science,  (d) modern languages and  (e) information and communications technologies in rural areas in the most recent period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many  (a) vacancies and  (b) temporary replacements there were for head teachers in (i) rural and (ii) non-rural areas in the most recent period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not available in the required format because vacancy level information is collected from a local authority rather than a school level survey and it is not possible to define which of these vacancies are in schools in rural and non-rural areas or which relate to specialist schools.
	Table 1 provides the number of full-time classroom teacher vacancies in local authority maintained secondary schools in England in English, Mathematics, Science, Languages and Information Technology in January 2006.
	
		
			  Table 1: Full-time classroom teacher vacancy( 1 ) rates in local authority maintained secondary schools in England by subject, January 2006 
			  ( 2) Number of vacancies 2006 
			 English 160 
			 Mathematics 190 
			 All sciences 210 
			 Languages 40 
			 Information Technology 90 
			 (1) Advertised vacancies for full-time permanent appointments (or appointments of at least one term's duration). Includes vacancies being filled on a temporary basis of less than one term.(2) Provisional. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Source: Survey of teachers in service and teacher vacancies, (618g) 
		
	
	Table 2 shows the number of full-time head teacher vacancies and full-time temporarily filled head teacher posts in local authority maintained schools in England in January 2006. For comparison with table 1, it also shows figures for maintained secondary schools only.
	
		
			  Table 2: Full-time head teacher vacancies and full-time temporarily filled head teacher posts in local authority maintained schools in England, January 2006( 2) 
			   All maintained schools  Maintained secondary schools 
			 Full-time head teacher vacancies 180 30 
			 Full-time temporarily filled head teacher posts(1) 660 80 
			 (1) Temporarily-filled full-time permanent appointments. The definition used is wider than the vacancy definition (bullet points (b) and (c) below are in addition to the normal vacancy definition). A post is included in this row of the table:a. where there is no incumbent who is expected to return to the post;b. whether or not filled on a temporary basis, i.e. either without a contract or on a contract of les than one year;c. whether or not advertised;d. where an appointment has been made by not yet taken up.(2) ProvisionalFigures are rounded to the nearest 10. Source: Survey of teachers in service and teacher vacancies, (618g)

Newly Qualified Teachers

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many newly qualified teachers had not taken up full-time teaching posts one year after qualification in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: Information on the number of newly qualified teachers in service is available for March of each year. The latest information available is March 2004. The following table provides the number of teachers who attained qualified teacher status (QTS) in each year from 1999 to 2003 and the number of those who were not in full-time service in the March of the following year. This number will include those in part time service.
	The proportion of qualifiers without teaching service usually falls substantially over the first year or two after qualification, and in the long-term has been around 9-10 per cent.
	
		
			  Teachers gaining qualified teacher status (QTS)( 1)  in England: 1999 to 2003, service position in the March of the following year. 
			   Calendar year of qualification 
			   1999  2000  2001  2002( 1)  2003( 1,2) 
			 Total gaining QTS(3) 24,190 21,880 21,870 23,050 24,580 
			 Of these(4):  
			 In full-time maintained sector service in England 16,590 15,690 16,650 17,510 17,510 
			 In full-time service elsewhere(5) 920 790 730 800 900 
			 Not in full-time service 6.690 5.,390 4,490 4,740 6,170 
			 (1 )Provisional data  (2 )Numbers in service are likely to be underestimated due to the late receipt of service information.  (3) Excludes teachers qualifying through employment based routes.  (4)The service position shown is at the first March following the year of qualification.  (5 )In service in Wales or Further and Independent sector service in England and Wales.   Source:  Database of Teacher Records

Teachers (Bristol)

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of teaching posts were filled by supply, temporary and agency teachers in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in Bristol local education authority in (i) 1996-97 and (ii) the most recent school year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not available in the required format because the number of teaching posts in Bristol local authority is not collect centrally.
	The table provides the number of occasional teachers (on contracts of less than one month) who were employed in maintained nursery/primary and secondary schools in Bristol local authority and England in January 1997 and 2005, the latest information available. The full-time equivalent number of regular qualified teachers is also provided.
	It is anticipated that local authority level teacher numbers for January 2006 will be published in September.
	
		
			  Number of occasional teachers (on contracts of less than one month) and full-time equivalent regular qualified teachers in maintained nursery/primary and secondary schools in Bristol local authority and England in January 1997 and 2005 
			   Nursery/primary  Secondary 
			   Occasional teachers( 1)  FTE regular qualified teachers( 2)  Occasional teachers( 1)  FTE regular qualified teachers( 2) 
			   Bristol  England  Bristol  England  Bristol  England  Bristol  England 
			 1997 110 8,310 1,540 190,660 60 4,390 1,120 187,660 
			 2005 90 8,570 1,390 189,920 40 5,700 1,070 204,080 
			 (1) 2005 figures include occasional teachers without qualified teacher status (QTS).(2) Excludes occasional teachers.  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.   Source:  Survey of teachers in service and teacher vacancies, (618g)

University for Industry

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent on the University for Industry in each year since it opened; how many people graduated in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Figures for 2001-02 onwards are:
	
		
			million 
			 2001-02 153.7 
			 2002-03 164.9 
			 2003-04 239.6 
			 2004-05 181.9 
			 2005-06 (1)209.4 
			 2006-07 (2)176.3 
			 (1) Estimated outturn  (2) Planned 
		
	
	Full details of Ufi funding are only available from 2001-02 onwards. Prior to 2001-02 funding was made available through the FEFC, for which we do not hold information. Ufi (initially called the University for Industry), the organisation responsible for learndirect, has successfully pushed the boundaries of learning methods, by making innovative use of technology to make learning more flexible. It is the largest government supported e-learning initiative in the world, and provides high quality learning for the post-16 learning and skills sector. It particularly reaches those with few or no skills and qualifications who are unlikely to participate in more traditional forms of learning. It is not an awarding body and does not have the status of a university.
	Since 1999, more than 2 million people have improved their skills either at a learndirect centre, or from work, or from their home computer. Since April 2003, over 120,000 people have achieved their first skills for life test pass in literacy or numeracy through learndirect. Ufi is now delivering over one fifth of the post-19 sector's skills for life test passes annually. Almost 200,000 small and medium sized employers have also used learndirect services. The learndirect advice service has delivered more than 33 million information and advice sessions on the telephone and online.

Afghanistan

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress International Security Assistance Force forces have made in implementing the NATO counter-narcotics operation in Afghanistan agreed in November 2005.

Adam Ingram: Under the terms of NATO's operational plan for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), ISAF forces can provide, within means and capabilities, training and operational support to Afghan counter narcotics forces. But they are not there to take direct action against the drugs trade or to eradicate opium poppy in the fields; that is a job for the Afghan Government.

Aircraft Carriers

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on progress regarding the Future Aircraft Carrier programme.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for Defence on 14 December 2005, and to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Wellingborough (Mr. Bone) on 6 February 2006,  Official Report, column 824W, which outlined the major steps taken in our plans for the future aircraft carriers including details of our co-operation with France.
	My noble Friend Lord Drayson, the Minister for Defence Procurement, subsequently announced that on 13 April the Aircraft Carrier Alliance signed a formal Alliance Agreement and individual works contracts totalling more than 140 million to continue to refine and mature all aspects of the ship design and its equipment, including mission systems. These contracts and the Alliance Agreement cover the key demonstration phase of the work and involve shipyards and industry in maturing the design to the point at which we can commit to manufacture. When we are satisfied that all this work is sufficiently mature the main investment decision can be taken and orders placed. At this point, we will also set the in-service dates.

Armed Forces Pensions

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written statement of 11 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 60-61WS, on armed forces invaliding pensions, what his Department's policy is on the payment of interest on underpaid  (a) pay and  (b) pensions.

Tom Watson: Any claims for compensation as a result of incorrect payments are considered in accordance with Government Accounting procedures. The general principle adopted is that the individual may be recompensed where it can be shown that a financial loss has occurred through maladministration.
	Those affected by the pension error that I announced on 11 July 2006 , Official Report, columns 60-61 WS, will receive, in addition to any back payments due, interest in accordance with Government Accounting rules. The Department is currently considering whether any additional recompense should be paid when the errors are corrected.

Armed Forces Pensions

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written statement of 11 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 60-61WS, on Armed Forces Invaliding Pensions, what research his Department has undertaken into the proposed merger of the Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency and the Veterans Agency; what his assessment is of the  (a) advantages and  (b) disadvantages of such a merger; and what assessment he has made of the likely effect of such a merger on Joint Personnel Administration.

Tom Watson: I refer the hon. Member to the ministerial statement I made on 17 July 2006.

Armed Forces Pensions

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written statement of 11 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 60-1WS, on Armed Forces Invaliding Pensions, when the error was found; what assessment he has made of the likelihood of further errors being uncovered; and what his estimate is of the financial liability arising from the errors.

Tom Watson: The error was found while making payments to rectify pension errors under Projects Haven and Scribe during the period 2003-06. As these projects moved towards a conclusion, specialist resources were freed up to scope this new problem. In view of the work that has been done to review pension files, the likelihood of further errors being uncovered is low, and robust arrangements have been put in place to prevent similar problems occurring in the future.
	The total pension arrears payable are estimated to be some 8.8 million plus interest, and I shall be considering as a matter of priority whether additional recompense is appropriate.

Armed Forces Pensions

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his assessment is of the impact of increased life expectancy on the integrity and affordability of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: New entrants to the armed forces on or after 6 April 2005 have joined the new Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2005. The impact of recent improvements in life expectancy was fully taken into account in developing the benefit structure of this scheme, including by setting a preserved pension age at age 65. There have also been changes to the benefit structure of the old pension scheme, Armed Forces Pension Scheme 1975, to ensure its long term affordability. The age at which a preserved pension is paid was delayed from age 60 to age 65 for all service from 6 April 2006. Some of these savings were reinvested in the scheme in the form of an increase in the death in service lump sum to three times pay. The impact of changing life expectancy and other relevant factors is monitored by the Government Actuary's Department, the actuary for the schemes, through regular assessments of the employer's contribution for the two AFPS schemes.

Colombia

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 10 May 2006,  Official Report, column 298W, on Colombia, for what reasons listing the financial value of bespoke counter narcotics training provided to Colombia would damage  (a) the safety of individuals,  (b) the prevention and detection of crime and  (c) international relations; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The bespoke counter narcotics training provided by Ministry of Defence is in support of HMG's wider engagement with Colombia on counter narcotics matters.
	Providing further information on this issue could endanger the safety of individuals and reduce the effectiveness of the Colombian law enforcement mission by raising the public profile of this counter narcotics work, including in Colombia. It would also be contrary to the wishes of the Colombian authorities.

Defence Information Structure

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the original  (a) estimated costs and  (b) in service delivery date was for the Defence Information Infrastructure project; and what the current situation is in each case.

Adam Ingram: Increment 1 of the Defence Information Infrastructure contract was awarded to the ATLAS Consortium, led by EDS, in March 2005 with an estimated value of 2.3 billion. This estimated value remains extant. There is no in service delivery date as such within the contract. The contracted New Services Commencement Date was originally March 2006. This date was subsequently revised to May 2006 and was met successfully.

Helicopters

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military helicopter flights there were in the airspace above the constituency of Hammersmith and Fulham in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: This information is not centrally held. Although individual units hold details of all flight paths undertaken by their own helicopters this information is not centrally collated and to could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Helicopters

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) actual and  (b) required number of helicopter crew personnel are for each regiment of the Army Air Corps.

Adam Ingram: The number of actual and required helicopter crew personnel for each regular regiment of the Army Air Corps (AAC) is as follows:
	
		
			  Regiment  Helicopter Crew Established (Required)  Helicopter Crew Held (Actual) 
			 1 Regt AAC 60 54 
			 3 Regt AAC 85 57 
			 4 Regt AAC 85 63 
			 5 Regt AAC 93 64 
			 9 Regt AAC 85 69 
		
	
	These figures include qualified helicopter instructors and regimental headquarters personnel, whose primary role is not as helicopter crew. The figures do not include aviation crewmen, such as air door gunners and winch operators, because this is not a long-term Career Employment Group. The established figure for 5 Regiment AAC will reduce to 31 by 1 April 2007, as part of the planned reductions in Northern Ireland. The deficits shown in the table in 3,4 and 9 AAC Regiments are mainly due to the re-roling of these regiments to Apache helicopters. As a consequence of re-roling, some aircrew are posted away for re-training.

HMS Argyll

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence why HMS Argyll is not to be modified to operate the Merlin helicopter; and what the intended out-of-service date is for this vessel.

Adam Ingram: The operational requirement is for 12 Type 23 frigates to be modified to operate the Merlin helicopter. The decision on which ships are to be modified is determined by the fitting opportunities within the frigate upkeep programme. HMS Argyll will not be modified as the requirement will be met by other frigates with earlier fitting opportunities within the upkeep programme. Should the programme change, then the situation will be reviewed. On current plans HMS Argyll is due to be withdrawn from service in 2019.

Meat Procurement

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of his Department's procurement policy on  (a) beef and  (b) lamb for members of the British armed forces serving on the Falkland Islands.

Adam Ingram: The procurement of meat in the Falkland Islands is consistent with the Ministry of Defence's wider procurement policy. In accordance with this policy, contractors are encouraged to purchase British produce whenever it is competitive and consistent with meeting quality standards. The MOD is, however, bound by European Legislation, and is required to seek value for money in the Single European Market. The MOD's Food Supply Contractor sources all meat procured for use by the UK armed forces.

Merchant Naval Ships

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he takes to ensure that wrecks of merchant naval ships lost during hostilities are protected.

Tom Watson: Issues relating to merchant vessels are in the first instance the responsibility of the Department of Transport.
	The Ministry of Defence administers the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986, which allows it to protect from unauthorised interference the remains of aircraft and ships lost while in military service.
	Whether or not an individual merchant vessel is eligible for designation under the Act depends on whether it can be said to have been in military service. This will be a case-by-case determination, depending on the circumstances of the individual vessel's loss.

Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability Programme

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) out-of-service date is for each Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel due for decommissioning by 2025 and  (b) scheduled in-service date is for each planned new vessel in the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability programme.

Adam Ingram: On current plans the RFA out of service dates are as follows:
	
		
			   Date 
			 RFA Sir Tristram 2006 
			 RFA Sir Galahad 2006 
			 RFA Grey Rover 2006 
			 RFA Gold Rover 2009 
			 RFA Brambleleaf 2009 
			 RFA Orangeleaf 2009 
			 RFA Black Rover 2010 
			 RFA Oakleaf 2010 
			 RFA Bayleaf 2010 
			 RFA Sir Bedivere 2011 
			 RFA Fort Rosalie 2013 
			 RFA Fort Austin 2014 
			 RFA Diligence 2014 
			 RFA Fort George 2019 
			 RFA Fort Victoria 2019 
			 RFA Argus 2020 
		
	
	As with all projects, the in service dates for the vessels in the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability programme will only be set following the main investment decision. This decision has not yet been taken.

Military Equipment Exports

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to supply the Government of Colombia with  (a) military equipment and  (b) other support in each of the next three years.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence does not supply the Colombian armed forces with military equipment. We currently have no plans to alter this policy. I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State's reply on 3 July 2006,  Official Report, column 703W.

Military Vehicles

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the wheelbase dimensions are of  (a) the Snatch Land Rover,  (b) the RG-31 and  (c) variants of the RG-31; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the dimensions of the  (a) Snatch armoured Land Rover,  (b) RG-31M and  (c) Tempest Truck, Mine-Protected Vehicle are; what is the time for each vehicle to accelerate from stationary to normal cruising speed; what their maximum speeds are; and what their turning circles are.

Adam Ingram: The information requested on SNATCH, the Mine Protected Vehicle and RG-31 is:
	
		
			  Vehicle  Length  Width  Height  Max Speed  Acceleration  Turning Circle( 1) 
			 SNATCH 4.80m 1.69m 2.37m lOOkm/h(2) Not measured 12.8m 
			 MPV(3) 6.28m 2.75m 3.04m 80km/h Not measured 17m 
			 RG-31(4) 6.40m 2.47m 2.84m 100km/h Not stated 16m 
			 (1) Kerb to kerb distance.  (2) For SNATCH 2; SNATCH 1 and 1.5 are slightly less. Since high speed is not a requirement for SNATCH, its maximum speed has not been tested precisely.  (3) The vehicle chosen to replace Mamba as the Mine Protected Vehicle (MPV) was initially called TEMPEST but this name is no longer used and the in service vehicle, based on the Cougar vehicle produced by Force Protection Inc, is known simply as MPV.  (4) RG-31 is not in service with the UK armed forces, but this data was obtained from BAES during the ongoing review of our patrol vehicle capability.

Military Vehicles

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost per track mile excluding crew costs is of operating  (a) a Warrior MICV and  (b) a RG-31M in Iraqi conditions.

Adam Ingram: The full capitation cost for the WARRIOR Armoured Fighting Vehicle (all variants) based on peacetime usage is calculated for financial year 2006-07 as 154.04 per kilometre. Specific operational track mile data is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Ministry of Defence does not own any RG-31M vehicles.

Private Land (Military Use)

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many private sites are used for military exercises in Herefordshire; and whether rent is paid for use of such sites.

Tom Watson: In financial year 2005-06, 161 sites were used for military training on private land in Herefordshire. So far this financial year, 92 sites have been used of which nine were for Adventure Training. The military training undertaken on private land in Herefordshire is primarily, though not exclusively, operational in nature rather than being designated exercises.
	No rent is paid for military training on private land in Herefordshire, apart from camp site fees which are sometimes paid for Adventure Training exercises. Fees have been incurred for five of the Adventure Training exercises that have taken place this year.
	The owners' permission is sought in advance of any training on private land.

Saudi Arabia

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the value was of armaments purchased from the UK by the government of Saudi Arabia in each year since 1997.

Adam Ingram: Statistics on the value of exports of military equipment have been published by country for each year since 1997 in the Annual Report on Strategic Export Controls. It is planned to publish the Annual Report for 2005 towards the end of this month.

Service Children (Education)

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of children in service children's education schools achieved three A-level passes each year since 1997.

Tom Watson: Of the students who sat three or more A-level examinations at Service Children's Education schools since 1997, the following percentages achieved a pass mark graded at A-E in three or more subjects:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 1997 72 
			 1998 84 
			 1999 78 
			 2000 94 
			 2001 88 
			 2002 98 
			 2003 89 
			 2004 91 
			 2005 94 
		
	
	These figures relate to A-level examinations only and not A-level equivalent examinations which are becoming an increasingly common option for students.

Spectrum Utilisation

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list mobile and fixed linked bands that  (a) were and  (b) were not subject to spectrum pricing in each financial year from 2004-05.

Adam Ingram: The bands subject pricing in 2004-05 and 2005-06 and the basis of pricing were as follows:
	
		
			  2004-05  2005-06 
			  Band Min. (MHz)  Band Max. (MHz)  Pricing Basis  Band Min. (MHz)  Band Max. (MHz)  Pricing Basis 
			 70 70.5 Mobile 70 70.5 Mobile 
			 72.8 74.8 Mobile 72.8 74.8 Mobile 
			 75.2 76.7 Mobile 75.2 76.7 Mobile 
			 78 80 Mobile 78 80 Mobile 
			 84 85 Mobile 83.5 85 Mobile 
			 137 138 Mobile 137 138 Mobile 
			 141.9 143 Mobile 141.9 143 Mobile 
			 149 149.9 Mobile 149 149.9 Mobile 
			 153.5 154 Mobile 153.5 154 Mobile 
			 401 406 Mobile 401 406 Mobile 
			 406.1 410 Mobile 406.1 410 Mobile 
			 410 430 Mobile 410 430 Mobile 
			 430 450 Mobile 430 450 Mobile 
			 870 872 Mobile 870 872 Mobile 
			 876 880 Mobile 876 880 Mobile 
			 915 917 Mobile 915 917 Mobile 
			 921 925 Mobile 921 925 Mobile 
			 1375 1400 Fixed 1375 1400 Fixed 
			 1427 1452 Fixed 1427 1452 Fixed 
			 2025 2070 Fixed 2025 2070 Fixed 
			 2200 2245 Fixed 2200 2245 Fixed 
			 2290 2300 Fixed Released to Ofcom 
			 2310 2390 Fixed 2310 2390 Mobile 
			 2390 2450 Fixed 2390 2450 Mobile 
			 3400 3600 Fixed 3400 3600 Fixed 
			 4400 5000 Fixed 4400 5000 Fixed 
			 5650 5850 Fixed 5650 5850 Fixed 
			 7900 7975 Fixed 7900 7975 Fixed 
			 8025 8400 Fixed 8025 8400 Fixed 
			 8500 8750 Fixed 8500 8750 Fixed 
			 8850 9000 Fixed 8850 9000 Fixed 
			 9500 10125 Fixed 9500 10125 Fixed 
			 10125 10225 Fixed 10125 10225 Fixed 
			 10225 10475 Fixed 10225 10475 Fixed 
			 10475 10500 Fixed 10475 10500 Fixed 
			 13400 14000 Fixed 13400 14000 Fixed 
			 14620 15230 Fixed 14620 15230 Fixed 
		
	
	Pricing for 2006-07 is yet to be concluded with Ofcom but it is expected that the priced bands and the basis (either fixed or mobile) for pricing will remain as in 2005-06.
	The bands used by the MOD that are not subject to pricing other than the above are those available for military use that are listed in the United Kingdom Frequency Allocation Table (2004 Issue No. 13) that is issued by the National Frequency Planning Group on behalf of the Cabinet Official Committee on UK Spectrum Management.

Spectrum Utilisation

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what spectrum price was paid by his Department for the bands which it managed in each financial year from 2004-05; and what estimate he has made for each financial year from 2006-07 to 2009-10.

Adam Ingram: The payments made to Ofcom for spectrum in each of the last two financial years were:
	
		
			million 
			 2004-05 24 
			 2005-06 55 
		
	
	The change in cost was as a result of agreements reached following a review of spectrum pricing policy and procedures.
	A sum of 56 million has been allocated for spectrum expenditure in financial year 2006-07 but funding for subsequent years is still under discussion.

Veterans

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on ensuring that employers are informed of the skills that veterans bring to the workplace.

Tom Watson: We have seen no need so far for specific discussions between my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on ensuring that employers are informed of the skills of Service leavers. High rates of employment for Service leavers are already achieved through the Department's Career Transition Partnership (CTP) as part of the resettlement process. Of those that wish to work and who are eligible for the service, over 50 per cent. are in employment within one month of discharge, rising to about 95 per cent. six-months post-discharge.
	The CTP commercial partner, Right Management Ltd. is a highly experienced outplacement company with a proven track record. It has a very effective marketing arm that carefully targets prospective employers who can offer quality jobs to Service leavers. Those employers who engage Service leavers are seldom disappointed and tend to seek more when vacancies arise.
	The cultivation of prospective employers is a continuing process, not only for Right Management but also for all others involved in the resettlement of departing Service personnel. It is an area of further development under the new CTP contract, with particular emphasis on tying together, at both local and national level, jobs and resettlement training opportunities and exploiting those who have passed successfully through the CTP process to attain posts of influence in civilian employment.
	For the minority of early Service leavers who are not eligible for CTP services, a resettlement briefing is provided which signposts employment help available from Other Government Departments and ex-Service charities: contacts are arranged on their behalf as necessary, and these are followed up by the briefing officer. This group of early leavers are also assessed for vulnerability to social exclusion and extra help is given where this is identified as a concern. The effectiveness of these arrangements is being kept under review.

Veterans

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on meeting the health needs of veterans through the NHS.

Tom Watson: There have been no recent discussions on the subject between Secretaries of State. Since 1948, it has been the policy of successive governments that health care for veterans should be provided by the NHS. Priority NHS treatment applies to veterans who are war pensioners for their accepted disorders. Officials in the Ministry of Defence and the four UK health departments work closely together, and they are at present developing delivery models to ensure high quality mental health services for veterans across the UK. My predecessors and I have been closely briefed on this and other work in the area of veterans' health. Should there be any issues following this work, or otherwise, I will discuss these with Ministers from the Department of Health and Devolved Administrations through the Veterans Ministerial Task Force, as appropriate.

Veterans

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research his Department is undertaking into  (a) homelessness among veterans and  (b) veterans in prison; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: The Ex-Service Action Group, of which the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Communities and Local Government are members, has commissioned research to look into the effectiveness of interventions in preventing rough sleeping and homelessness among ex-Service personnel in London. MOD will meet about 70 per cent. of the cost of this research from the Veterans Challenge Fund. The Department is not currently undertaking any research into veterans in prison but is leading a project with the Home Office, ex-Service charities and other voluntary sector organisations to assist ex-Service offenders in custody and on release, and their families, to reduce the risk of re-offending. In a related area, the Department has funded research on the possible merits of mentoring for vulnerable veterans which looked in particular at the needs of personnel discharged from the Military Corrective Training Centre. We are currently considering how best to take forward the results of this work.

Weapons Expenditure

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on the development of the 40 mm Case Telescoped Ammunition weapon; and what assessment has been made of its  (a) effectiveness and  (b) in service cost.

Adam Ingram: The 40 mm Cased Telescope Ammunition Weapon has been developed using private venture capital by CTA International. The Ministry of Defence is conducting a Technology Demonstrator Programme to assess its effectiveness when vehicle-mounted. No study has yet been made of the through-life costs of the system.

Advertising Campaigns

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what advertising campaigns his Department has run since July 2004; and what the  (a) date and  (b) cost was of each.

Anne McGuire: The Department runs a number of promotional campaigns aimed at increasing awareness of rights and responsibilities. The dates and costs are given as follows:
	
		
			  000 
			  Financial year  (a) Date of activity  (b) Annual cost 
			  Age Partnership Group   
			 2005-06 April 2005 to March 2006 19 
			 2006-07 April 2006 to May 2006 8 
			
			  Age Positive   
			 2004-05 April 2004 to March 2005 29 
			 2005-06 April 2005 to March 2006 68 
			
			  Council Tax Benefit   
			 2004-05 January 2005 674 
			  March 2005  
			 2005-06 January 2005 to February 2005 526 
			  March 2005  
			
			  Direct Payment   
			 2004-05 April 2004 8,379 
			  June 2004 to December 2004  
			  January 2005 -March 2005  
			
			  Disability Discrimination Act   
			 2004-05 March 2004 to September 2004 1,992 
			  January 2005 to March 2005  
			 2005-06 December 2005 to May 2006 888 
			
			  IB Reforms Pilot   
			 2004-05 April 2004 to May 2004 106 
			
			  Images of Disability   
			 2005-06 September 2005 2 
			
			  Lone Parent Leaflet Promotion Marketing   
			 2004-05 March 2005 216 
			
			  National Sector Campaign   
			 2005-06 July 2005 to September 2005 23 
			  October 2005 to December 2005  
			  January 2006 to March 2006  
			
			  National Vacancy Campaign   
			 2004-05 October 2004 to March 2005 390 
			
			  Pension Credit   
			 2004-05 April 2004 to July 2004 4,388 
			 2005-06 January 2005 to March 2005 362 
			
			  State Pension Deferral   
			 2004-05 November 2004 to July 2005 115 
			 2005-06 January 2006 to March 2006 392 
			 2006-07 April 2006 to May 2006 51 
			
			  State Second Pension   
			 2005-06 January 2006 to February 2006 675 
			
			  Targeting Benefit Fraud   
			 2004-05 June 2004 to July 2004 6,017 
			  October 2004 to November 2004  
			  December 2004 to February 2005  
			 2005-06 June 2005 to July 2005 7,042 
			  October 2005 to November 2005  
			  February 2005 to March 2005  
			
			  Winter Fuel Payments   
			 2004-05 June 2004 to March 2005 515 
			 2005-06 June 2005 to March 2006 918 
			  Notes: 1. The table do not include the following as the information is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost: spend by non-departmental bodies for which the Department is responsible details of highly localised publicity activity by the Department's customer-facing businesses recruitment or procurement advertising.  2. The figures refer to media spend only, excluding production and other costs.  3. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 1,000. 4. All figures are exclusive of VAT.

Departmental Staff (Sickness Absence)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1296W, on departmental staff, how many staff in his Department have had more than two periods of sickness of less than five days in two or more of the years for which he has provided figures.

Anne McGuire: Full information on how many staff in DWP have had more than two periods of sickness of less than five days or more in two or more years is not collated and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Disability Living Allowance

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in Oxfordshire include a person with a learning disability who receives the care component of disability living allowance at the  (a) highest rate,  (b) middle rate and  (c) lowest rate.

Jim Murphy: The administration of disability living allowance is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Terry Moran, dated 17 July 2006:
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in Oxfordshire include a person with a learning disability who receives the care component of disability living allowance at the  (a) highest rate  (b) middle rate and  (c) lowest rate.
	The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service.
	The information available is in the following tables:
	
		
			  Recipients of disability living allowance with learning difficulties by rate of care award as at November 2005 in Oxfordshire parliamentary constituencies 
			   Care component 
			   Total with care component  Highest rate  Middle rate  Lowest rate 
			 County of Oxford total 1,940 540 340 1,070 
			 Banbury 370 90 70 220 
			 Henley 200 60 30 110 
			 Oxford East 430 120 70 240 
			 Oxford West and Abingdon 290 70 50 170 
			 Wantage 320 100 60 170 
			 Witney 330 100 60 160 
			  Notes:1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.2. Totals may not sum due to rounding.3. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory.4. Figures are based on the care component condition only. Source: DWP, WPLS 100 per cent. data. 
		
	
	
		
			  Recipients of Disability Living Allowance with learning difficulties by rate of care award as at November 2005 in Oxfordshire local authorities 
			   Care component 
			   Total with care component  Highest rate  Middle rate  Lowest rate 
			 Oxfordshire total 1,940 530 340 1,070 
			 Cherwell 440 110 70 250 
			 Oxford 480 120 80 280 
			 South Oxfordshire 330 100 60 160 
			 Vale of White Horse 370 90 70 220 
			 West Oxfordshire 320 100 60 160 
			  Notes:1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.2. Totals may not sum due to rounding.3. Local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcodedirectory.4. Figures are based on the care component condition only. Source: DWP, WPLS 100 per cent. data. 
		
	
	I hope this is helpful.

Health and Safety

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Health and Safety Executive inspectors have been employed in the Field Operations Division in each of the last five years, broken down by region.

Anne McGuire: The number of Health and Safety inspectors employed in the Field Operations Directorate for each of the last five years broken down by region are listed in the following table.
	On 1 April 2005, management responsibility for 72 inspectors transferred from Field Operations Directorate to Policy Group but their role remains essentially unchanged.
	
		
			  As at 1 April each year  Scotland  North West  Yorkshire and North East  Midlands  Wales South West  East South East  London  Total 
			 2002 120 119 129 163 105 183 83 902 
			 2003 110 98 108 155 144 195 86 896 
			 2004 103 96 133 141 112 164 77 826 
			 2005 87 86 111 133 107 168 73 765 
			 2006 89 91 113 121 112 159 70 755 
		
	
	From October 2004, we have also had a front-line force of Health and Safety awareness officers, numbering 97 in 2006. The proportion of front-line staff remains at 21 per cent. of HSE staff in 2006 as it was in 2005, so essentially front-line delivery remains the same.
	Over the last four years, FOD have consistently increased the proportion of time they spend on front-line activitiesstanding at 61 per cent. for the 2005-06 work year.

Health and Safety

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what  (a) work on contract for overseas governments and public bodies,  (b) work on contract for overseas commercial interests and  (c) collaborative work with other agencies abroad is carried out by (i) the Health and Safety Executive and (ii) the Health and Safety Laboratory; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The Health and Safety Executive carries out no work under contract for overseas governments, public bodies and commercial interests. It does however carry out a considerable amount of collaborative work with other agencies abroad. The principal items of such work and the agencies, etc., with whom they are done are listed in table A.
	The work currently being carried out by Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) on contract for overseas governments and public bodies and for overseas commercial interests is set out in tables B1, B2 and B3.
	In addition, HSL operates the Great Britain Explosives Notified Body, which offers a service to industry through out the world to certify explosives falling within the scope of the European Directive 93/15/EEC and the Placing on the Market and Supervision of Transfers of Explosives Regulations (POMSTER). Explosives that meet the requirements of the Directive and POMSTER may be marked with the CE mark. HSL currently has 80 overseas commercial applicants for certification.
	HSL collaborates with a large number of overseas laboratories principally in the area of quality control. In addition, HSL has formal collaboration agreements in place with the following overseas organisations: Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency; Canadian Explosives Research Laboratory; Institut de Recherche Robert Sauve en Sante et en Securite du Traveil (IRSST) Canada; and the National Institute for Occupational Health of the National Health and Laboratory Service, South Africa. Together with 11 other laboratories in member states of the EU, HSL is a signatory to the Framework Agreement on the Foundation of the Partnership for European Research in Occupational Safety and Health (PEROSH); and is also a World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre.
	In addition to these formal collaborative arrangements, Both HSE and HSL staff also regularly exchange information with the counterparts, experts and scientists throughout the world, both in the public and private sectors.
	
		
			  Table A: Collaborative work carried out by HSE with Overseas Agencies 
			  Organisation  Area of work 
			 World Health Organisation Health effects of exposure to static/time varying electro magnetic fields; occupational safety and health statistics. 
			 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Nuclear Energy Agency Nuclear energy safety. 
			 International Labour Organisation Developing and maintaining occupational safety and health standards. 
			 International Social Security Association: International Agriculture Section Occupational safety and health in agriculture. 
			 International Organisation for Standardization International health and safety standards. 
			 International Atomic Energy Agency Nuclear energy safety. 
			 United Nations Group of Experts on the Globally Harmonised System for the Classification and Labelling of Chemicals Classification and labelling of chemicals. 
			 International Conference of Chief Inspectors of Explosives Exchange of information and good practice on the regulation of explosives. 
			 International Association of Labour Inspectorates Exchange of information and good practice on occupational safety and health enforcement. 
			 International Regulators' Offshore Safety Forum Offshore occupational safety and health. 
			 International Group of Experts on the Explosion Risk of Unstable Substances Energetic and oxidising substances and explosives, propellants and pyrotechnics. 
			 International Collaborative Group on Environmentally Assisted Cracking Nuclear energy safety. 
			 European Agency for Safety and Health at Work European Week of Safety and Health at Work, occupational safety and health statistics. 
			 European Union Administration and Cooperation Groups Occupational safety and health in machinery, pressure, lifts and equipment for use in explosive atmospheres. 
			 European Commission: Eurostat Occupational safety and health statistics. 
			 European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions Occupational safety and health statistics. 
			 European Committee for Standardization (CEN) Occupational health and safety standards. 
			 European Trade Union Institute for Research, Education and Health and Safety Collaboration to develop methodology to obtain user information for the design of tools. 
			 European Senior Labour Inspectorate Committee Exchange of information and good practice on occupational safety and health enforcement. 
			 European Working Group on Reactor Dosimetry Nuclear energy safety. 
			 European Chemicals Bureau and competent authorities in all EU Member States Classification, labelling and safe use of chemicals. 
			 North Sea Offshore Authorities Forum Offshore occupational safety and health. 
			 French Government-Ministere des Affaires Sociales (Ministry for Social Affairs) Developing joint policy on machinery safety issues. 
			 German Government- Ministerium fur Umwelt und Verkehr (Ministry for Environment and Transport) Machinery safety issues. 
			 Dutch Government-Arbeidsinspectie Expertisecentrum Developing procedure to deal with the application of EU Supply Directives. 
			 Dutch State Supervision of Mines Offshore occupational safety and health. 
			 Danish Energy Authority Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs Offshore occupational safety and health. 
			 Petroleum Safety Authority Norway Offshore occupational safety and health. 
			 US Occupational Safety and Health Administration Occupational safety and health in ground handling activities in air transport. 
			 Atlantic Alliance (UK, USA, Germany, Ireland, Australia) Occupational safety and health in quarries. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B1: Work carried out by HSL on contract for overseas governments and public bodies 
			  Organisation  Area of work 
			 European Commission Creation and the promotion of an inclusive risk governance culture. 
			 European Commission Quantification and control of the hazards associated with the transport and bulk storage of fireworks. 
			 European Commission Handbook for approval of hydrogen refuelling stations. 
			 European Commission Sharing experience on risk management to design future industrial systems. 
			 European Commission Safety of hydrogen as an energy carrier. 
			 European Commission Safe production and use of nanomaterials. 
			 Health and Safety Inspectorate, Gibraltar Dock work safety. 
			 Health and Safety Authority, Ireland Exchange of information, advice and support on process safety issues. 
			 Finnish Institute of Occupational Health Occupational health and safety research topic centre. 
			 Institut National de I'Environment Industriel et des Risques (INERIS), France Hydrogen safety course. 
			 Institut Quimic de Sarria, Spain Explosives and explosives prevention. 
			 National Institute of Occupational Hygiene, South Africa Assessment of measurement and analysis of chemicals. 
			 County Wexford Garda, Ireland Diving equipment examination. 
			 University of Wuerzburg, Germany Risk assessment 
			 TNO Quality of Life, The Netherlands Development of worked examples for exposure scenarios of biocidal products to humans. 
			 CRP Centro para la Prevencion de Riesgos Professionales, Columbia Urine sample analysis. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B2: Work carried out by HSL on contract for overseas commercial interests 
			  Organisation  Area of work 
			 European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC), Belgium Analysis of chemicals. 
			 The Oil Companies European Organisation for Environment, Health and Safety (CONCAWE), Belgium Analytical support for gasoline risk assessment. 
			 Hilti Aktiengesellschaft, Leichtenstein Tests on two fastening tools to assist the client in self-certification. 
			 Adisseo France SAS, France Measurement of dustiness of one powder. 
			 Saint Gobain Cree, France Measurement of dustiness of three carbon powders. 
			 Microclean Environmental Ltd, Ireland Analysis of chemical samples. 
			 EHS Risk Management Services, Ireland Nitrous oxide sampling. 
			 AB Achema, Lithuania Testing resistance to detonation. 
			 Borax Rotterdam NV, The Netherlands Testing chemicals in air filter samples. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B3: Work carried out by HSL on contract for a consortium of overseas public bodies and commercial interests 
			 Organisation Area of work 
			 Danish Gas Technology Centre, Denmark; Gastec Technology BV, The Netherlands; Directorate for Civil Protection and Emergency Planning, Norway Group sponsored research project on area classification for secondary releases from low-pressure natural gas systems in naturally and mechanically ventilated indoor locations.

Information Technology

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the  (a) originally estimated,  (b) most recently estimated and  (c) outturn cost was in each of the five largest information technology contracts agreed with outside suppliers over the last five years.

James Purnell: Information that is available is in the following table.
	
		
			  Contract  Supplier  Original contract estimate ( million)  Most recently estimated ( million) 
			 Accord / Standard Services Business Allocation (SSBA) EDS 3,433.5 2,396.8 
			 Accord / Integrated Communications and Network Services (ICONS) BT 1,411.3 870.0 
			 Pensions Transformation Project Accenture 129.0 122.0 
			 Benefits Processing Replacement Programme / Working Age Transformation and Change Programme IBM 123.4 79.7 
			 Central Payment System Siemens 59.6 59.6

New Deal for Disabled People

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will take steps to make New Deal for Disabled People open to those who are in receipt of jobseeker's allowance who are partially sighted; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what equipment is available for those on New Deal for Disabled People.

Anne McGuire: New Deal for Disabled People (NDDP) services are available to people with a health condition or disability, including those who are partially sighted, who are in receipt of a range of benefits. Eligible benefits include incapacity benefit and income support with a disability premium, but not jobseeker's allowance (JSA). We have no plans to change the eligibility criteria for the programme.
	There is no specific funding for equipment for NDDP customers and it is not a requirement of the programme to provide equipment. However, NDDP Job Brokers have the flexibility to use their funds to provide equipment if they feel it is appropriate to do so. Equipment can also be accessed through other provision, for example the adviser discretion fund (ADF), which enables the purchase of almost anything, up to a limit of 100 within a 12-month period, that will help a customer obtain a job, or take up an offer of employment. NDDP customers can access ADF through Jobcentre Plus advisers.
	Access to Work also helps disabled people enter and stay in employment by providing a range of practical help to them and their employers, including the provision of equipment to help overcome barriers faced at work as a result of disability.

Office Equipment

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) personal computers,  (b) laptops,  (c) servers,  (d) printers,  (e) scanners,  (f) photocopiers and  (g) fax machines (i) his Department and (ii) each (A) non-departmental public body, (B) executive agency and (C) other public body for which his Department is responsible in (1) Scotland, (2) Wales, (3) each English region and (4) Northern Ireland owned in (x) 2003-04 and (y) 2004-05.

Anne McGuire: DWP central asset registers do not hold the requested data in national and regional splits. Assets owned by DWP, are held against individual Business Units and by financial cost centre. The information is therefore provided below by year and Business Unit.
	In addition to the assets owned by DWP, the Department also utilises equipment owned by our major IT service provider EDS, under PFI arrangements. The figures for these supplier owned assets are included separately.
	There were approximately 130,000 staff in DWP in March 2005 and significantly more PC's than people. There are several reasons for this, including PCs allocated to;
	Part-time staff on an individual basis
	Staff who work from more than one site or from home
	Business testing and training (e.g. for our large modernisation programme)
	The time lag between staff reductions and equipment removals.
	The figure continues to fall. We estimate that the current figure it be 147,794 PCs and 8,169 laptops. The contractual and budgetary provisions of the recently aligned contract with EDS are designed to drive the numbers down further and to provide significantly improved Asset Management Services.
	The returns for non-departmental bodies for which DWP is responsible have been obtained from each individual body.
	Photocopiers can be purchased or leased by local management and central figures are not available, however a central DWP leasing arrangement for mid-range copiers indicates that 5,123 copiers were leased as at March 2005.
	The information is contained within the following tables:
	
		
			  March 2004 
			   PCs  Laptops  Servers  Printers  Scanners  Copiers  Fax 
			 Appeals Agency (inc Tribunal non-Departmental Public Bodies) 1,384 238 55 686 10 7 90 
			 Jobcentre Plus 69,742 2,618 951 14,498 195 408 27 
			 Child Support Agency 13,408 1,080 135 1,525 14 43 27 
			 Corporate Centre 34,803 4,362 3,981 6,932 179 53 0 
			 Disability and Carers 60 7 1 11 0 0 0 
			 Pensions 19,457 2,562 134 2,894 58 13 8 
			 Health and Safety Executive, Health and Safety Commission, Health and Safety Laboratory 904 207 50 292 65 164 45 
			 Rent Service Part of Office of Deputy Prime Minister so no data available for this year 
			 Disability Rights Commission 294 71 33 38 9 7 9 
			 Independent Living Funds 190 19 11 53 0 4 8 
			 Pensions Protection Fund 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Health and Safety Commission(1)
			 Pensions Regulator 280 55 43 40 6 5 10 
			 Remploy Limited 800 900 123 1,600 200 100 250 
			 Disability Employment Advisory Committee(2)
			 Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Industrial Injuries Advisory Council 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 National Employment Panel 39 10 0 13 1 0 1 
			 Social Security Advisory Committee 5 1 0 2 0 0 1 
			 Office Pensions Ombudsman 43 2 1 14 1 2 1 
			 Motability 150 9 11 15 2 6 3 
			 Independent Review Service and Social 189 3 5 51 3 5 12 
			 
			  Fund Commissioner
			 Pensions Advisory Service 44 4 3 16 1 3 2 
			 EDS owned equipment 48,237 4,002 1,900 13,265 117 0 0 
			 Total 190,034 16,150 7,437 41,945 861 820 494 
			 (1) Included in House  (2 )Included in Corporate Centre   Note:  Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board has no equipment. 
		
	
	
		
			  March 2005 
			   PCs  Laptops  Servers  Printers  Scanners  Copiers  Fax 
			 Appeals Agency (inc Tribunal non Departmental Public Bodies) 1,358 233 47 706 7 4 81 
			 Jobcentre Plus 65,310 1,552 1,084 11,336 116 404 27 
			 Child Support Agency 12,830 835 151 1,350 14 43 27 
			 Corporate Centre 20,702 3,657 3,699 3,579 131 35 10 
			 Disability and Carers 8,020 263 161 1,739 14 4 0 
			 Pensions 18,915 2,874 148 2,802 61 13 1 
			 Health and Safety Executive, Health and Safety Commission, Health and Safety Laboratory 981 270 56 131 22 132 27 
			 Rent Service 908 235 161 333 25 39 90 
			 Disability Rights Commission 314 82 43 51 14 7 9 
			 Independent Living Funds 250 33 17 54 0 4 9 
			 Pensions Protection Fund 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Health and Safety Commission(1)
			 Pensions Regulator 400 60 65 42 6 5 12 
			 Remploy Limited 800 900 123 1,600 200 120 300 
			 Disability Employment Advisory Committee(2)
			 Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Industrial Injuries Advisory Council 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 National Employment Panel 39 10 0 13 1 0 1 
			 Social Security Advisory Committee 6 2 0 2 0 0 1 
			 Office Pensions Ombudsman 43 2 1 14 1 2 1 
			 Motability 120 15 11 15 4 6 3 
			 Independent Review Service and Social Fund Commissioner 211 5 6 51 3 5 12 
			 Pensions Advisory Service 44 4 3 16 1 3 2 
			 EDS owned equipment 44,975 4,553 1,900 12,757 121 0 0 
			 Total 176,231 15,585 7,659 36,591 741 826 613 
			 (1) Included in House  (2) Included in Corporate Centre  Note:  Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board has no equipment.

Outsourcing

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what administrative functions for which his Department is responsible are outsourced overseas; and what assessment he has made of the merits of outsourcing further such functions overseas.

Anne McGuire: None of the administrative functions for which the Department for Work and Pensions is responsible are outsourced overseas.
	Currently the Department has no intention to locate administration functions overseas therefore no assessment has been made of the merits.

Public Appointments

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many public appointments are within his patronage; what  (a) salary and  (b) other emoluments are attached to each; and what the comparable figures were in (i) 1976, (ii) 1986 and (iii) 1996.

Anne McGuire: Details of the public appointments to public bodies sponsored by The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) can be found in Public Bodies, copies of which are in the Library. Public Bodies has been published annually since 1980 and the most recent edition provides figures for 2005. Each edition of Public Bodies contains details on the number of public appointments and remuneration details for that particular year. DWP was established in June 2001 and stewardship of those of its public bodies in existence before this time sat within its predecessor Departments. Comparable information for 1976, 1986 and 1996 in respect of DWP public bodies could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Details of the latest remuneration for each of the 130 public appointments to the bodies sponsored by DWP are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Non-departmental public body (NDPB)/Year established  Public appointments  Remuneration 
			 Disability Employment Advisory Committee (DEAC) 2002 Chair Unpaid(1) 
			  14 Members Unpaid(1) 
			
			 Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board (DLAAB) 1991 Chair 286.00 per day 
			  7 Medical Members 243.00 per day 
			   121. 50 per half day 
			  10 Non-Medical Members 134.00 per day 
			   67.00 per half day 
			
			 Disability Rights Commission (DRC) 2000 Chair 117,000 per annum 
			  14 Members 150.00 per day 
			
			 Health and Safety Commission (HSC) 1974 Chair 126,594 per annum 
			  9 Members 15,435.00 per annum 
			
			 Independent Living Funds (ILF) 1993 Chair Unpaid 
			  6 Members Unpaid 
			
			 Industrial Injuries Advisory Council IIAC) 1948 Chair 260.00 per full council meeting and 
			   141 per council sub-group meeting 
			  15 Members 141.00 per meeting 
			
			 National Employment Panel (NEP) 2001 Chair Unpaid 
			  23 Members Unpaid 
			
			 Pensions Ombudsman (PO) 1991 Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman (PPFO) 2005 Ombudsman 122,186.00 per annum 
			  Deputy Ombudsman 83,946.00 per annum 
			
			 Pensions Protection Fund (PPF) 2005 Chair 82, 934. 80 per annum 
			  5 Members 15,171.00 per annum 
			
			 Remploy Ltd. 1945 Chair 38,634 per annum 
			  6 Non-Executive Directors 7,500.00 per annum 
			
			 Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) 1980 Chair 21,000 per annum 
			  13 Members 210.00 per day 
			
			 The Pensions Regular (TPR) 2005 Chair 103,668.50 per annum 
			  5 Members 10,114.00 per annum 
			 (1 )Loss of earnings up to a maximum daily rate of 138 may be claimed.

Sulphuric Acid

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Scientific Committee on Occupational Exposure Levels has made progress in determining whether sulphuric acid should be classified as a carcinogen; and if he will make a statement on current occupational exposure limits to sulphuric acid mist.

Anne McGuire: The European Commission's Scientific Committee for Occupational Exposure Limits (SCOEL) does not make formal recommendations concerning the classification of chemicals. The responsibility for this falls to the Classification and Labelling Working Group established by the European Chemicals Bureau and this Group has not considered the classification of sulphuric acid as a carcinogen.
	However, in its deliberations leading to recommendations on occupational exposure limits, SCOEL undertakes an assessment of the evidence on all aspects of the substances under consideration, including whether or not a substance may have particular properties, including the potential to cause cancer in humans.
	In relation to sulphuric acid mist, for which a Recommendation for an occupational exposure limit was published in October 2004, SCOEL felt that the balance of evidence from studies in worker populations was sufficient to indicate that sulphuric acid mist has the potential to cause laryngeal cancer in humans. However, there were insufficient data to reliably inform on the airborne exposure conditions that were associated with the increased incidence of laryngeal cancer in these studies. In relation to the mechanism whereby sulphuric acid mist causes laryngeal cancer, SCOEL concluded that it is based on long-term chronic irritation of the laryngeal epithelium, and that airborne exposures that are below the threshold for the induction of such irritant effects would not lead to any increased risk of cancer.
	SCOEL recommended that an 8-hour time-weighted average occupational exposure limit, set at 0.05 mg.m-3, would not lead to any adverse health effects in workers, and would not be associated with any increased risk of cancer.
	In November 2001 the Health and Safety Executive published a Chemical Hazard Alert Notice for sulphuric acid mist, which recommended that employers should control mist exposure to below 0.3 mg.m-3, in line with advice from the National Sulphuric Acid Association. The 8-hour time-weighted average occupational exposure standard (OES) for sulphuric acid, formerly set at 1 mg.m-3, was withdrawn by the Health and Safety Commission in May 2003. There is currently no British occupational exposure limit.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library all documents regarding discussions held between his Department and HM Revenue and Customs on the use of National Insurance numbers in determining eligibility for tax credits of an individual who has failed verification rule 12 of the Tax Credits Manual on Residency Criteria Not Met.

James Plaskitt: Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide range of organisations both within Government and outside as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Avian Influenza

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account she took of the 50 per cent. fatality rate from H5N1 in determining the 2.5 per cent. fatality rate assumption for the relevant UK contingency plan.

Rosie Winterton: Although the H5N1 virus has a reported fatality rate of around 50 per cent. in humans, there is some question regarding the accuracy of this figure. This is partly because we cannot guarantee that all H5N1 cases have been recorded. It is important to remember that fatality rates for pandemic flu have historically been lower than H5N1 avian flu. For example, the 1918 pandemic was the most severe in the 20(th) century and this had a fatality rate of around 2 per cent.
	This 2.5 per cent. figure was informed by international consensus and expert advice. Our modellers have taken the fatality rate of the H5N1 virus into consideration when agreeing this figure.

Community Hospitals

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her oral statement of 5 July 2006,  Official Report, column 820, in which primary care trust areas the pilot community hospitals tariff to which she referred will be introduced next year.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 13 July 2006
	We will set out shortly our plans for the national tariff in 2007-08 but we have never said there will be a community hospital tariff.

Crystal Blue Consulting

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the terms are of the contract her Department has with Crystal Blue Consulting in respect of a review of the impact of the market forces factor in the funding and operation of local health trusts; and what timetable has been set for  (a) completion of the work and  (b) publishing its findings.

Andy Burnham: The advisory committee on resource allocation (ACRA) is carrying out a review of the approach to calculating the staff market forces factor (MFF). To inform the review and following a competitive tendering exercise the Department has let a contract with Crystal Blue Consulting to examine the feasibility of using national health service costs in calculating the staff MFF.
	It is expected that the work will be completed by autumn this year. The publication of the findings will be considered later.

Dentistry

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the outcome was of discussions between her Department, the North West London Strategic Health Authority and Hillingdon Primary Care Trust on the estimated 200,000 shortfall in the devolved dentistry budget for Hillingdon.

Rosie Winterton: No formal discussions have been held between the Department, the then North West London strategic health authority and Hillingdon primary care trust (PCT) about the devolved dentistry budget for Hillingdon.
	However, I have been informed that Hillingdon PCT has now resolved this matter to its satisfaction.

Electrical Fields

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been conducted  (a) by and  (b) for her Department into the health impacts from electrical fields from (i) mobile phones, (ii) other electronic equipment in the home or workplace and (iii) major external sources, including power cables, mobile phone masts and other transmitters; and what steps she (A) has taken and (B) plans to take to tackle the potential effects on health of electrical fields.

Caroline Flint: The Health Protection Agency's radiation protection division (HPA-RPD) keeps the world-wide research findings on electric and magnetic fields (EMF) and health under review. In 2004 the HPA-RPD, previously the National Radiological Protection Board, undertook a comprehensive review of the existing body of research to date and formally recommended the adoption of EMF exposure guidelines published in 1998 by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). The HPA advice is available on its website at www.hpa.org.uk/radiation/publications/documents_of_nrpb/pdfs/doc_15_2.pdf. The ICNIRP guidelines also form the basis of the 1999 European Recommendation (EC/519/1999) on limiting EMF public exposure.

English Partnerships

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2006 to question 77864,  Official Report, column 817W, how many of the 96 national health service sites acquired by English Partnerships on 6 April 2005 have been sold.

Yvette Cooper: Of the 96 former hospital sites acquired by English Partnerships in April 2005 the following four sites have been sold so far:
	Park Prewett, Basingstoke (part)
	Linton Hospital, Maidstone
	Renny Lodge, Newport Pagnell
	Sheppey Hospital, Isle of Sheppey
	Three of these sitesRenny Lodge, Linton Hospital and part of Park Prewett will provide over 300 homes as part of the Design for Manufacture competition.
	English Partnerships is working with partners to bring forward sites as quickly as possible and hope to be able to announce preferred developers for a further four sites later this year.

Environmental Management

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department  (a) is committed to the achievement of environmental management to ISO14001 standard and  (b) has been externally certified as in compliance with that standard; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: This Department is committed to maintaining the best possible standards of environmental management. We are working towards certification under IS014001.
	We have not been externally certified but are working towards certification.

Fraser Day Hospital

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate has been made by Milton Keynes Primary Care Trust of the value of the Fraser Day Hospital site in Newport Pagnell;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the annual saving to Milton Keynes Primary Care Trust (PCT) of the proposed closure of the Fraser Day Hospital in Newport Pagnell, expressed in  (a) real terms and  (b) as a percentage of the PCT's annual budget.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 13 July 2006
	The continued use of the suite of rooms forming the Fraser Day Hospital for health related services is being investigated and as such the value of the primary care trust's legal interest in this accommodation is not required at the present time. The provision of local health care facilities is the responsibility of the Milton Keynes Primary Care Trust (PCT), with the support of their strategic health authority. It is for the PCT to estimate any costs of changes in service arrangements.

Maternity Services

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence report on maternity services was altered after completion and before publication; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is developing a guideline on care during labour. During the preparation of the draft guideline, the Department, as one of the instituted stakeholders, asked whether or not the available evidence precisely supported one of the recommendations made in the guideline. This related to advice on the risks and benefits of the different places of birth. NICE reflected on this, took further advice and made a minor change to the relevant recommendation.

Multiple Sclerosis

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what representations she has received on the availability of disease modifying therapies for people with multiple sclerosis in Staffordshire; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  if she will meet the MS Society to discuss the terms of reference of the North Staffordshire Review Panel assessing the cost-effectiveness of disease modifying therapies for people with multiple sclerosis.

Ivan Lewis: The Secretary of State has received no recent representations on the availability of disease modifying therapies for people with multiple sclerosis in Staffordshire.
	The local health community is responsible for decisions around the provision of national health service treatment. The Multiple Sclerosis Society may wish to discuss its concerns about the terms of reference of the North Staffordshire review panel with NHS West Midlands.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has considered amending its assessment of cost effectiveness to include a factor of care time in the outcome.

Andy Burnham: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE) Guide to the Methods of Technology Appraisal is published on NICE's website at www.nice.org.uk, and gives details of the methodology NICE uses in carrying out its appraisals. NICE reviews its methods guide approximately every three years following consultation with stakeholder organisations, including those representing patients, carers, healthcare professions and manufacturers. The guide was last updated in 2004.

Newham PCT

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of Newham Primary Care Trust's financial position; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The 2005-06 provisional unaudited financial position of all national health service organisations was announced on 7 June.
	A full report on the 2005-06 NHS financial performance and a series of tables showing the financial position of all NHS organisations is available in the Library.

NHS Complaints

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of complaints against the NHS brought to the attention of the Healthcare Commission have been referred back to the trust of origin for resolution without further investigation.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 4 July 2006
	The chairman of the Healthcare Commission has confirmed that in 2005-06 31 per cent. of cases were referred back for further work by the healthcare provider concerned following a review of the local complaint handling by the Healthcare Commission.

NHS Complaints

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints against the NHS brought to the attention of the Healthcare Commission and not referred back to the trust of origin without further investigation are waiting to be investigated by a case manager of the Healthcare Commission; how long on average these cases have been waiting; and how many of these cases have been waiting more than  (a) eight weeks,  (b) six months and  (c) one year from receipt of the complaint.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 4 July 2006
	The chairman of the Healthcare Commission has confirmed that the Commission facing a higher than expected numbers of referred cases, has introduced an eight week target to cases received since 1 April 2006. There are currently 2,261 cases awaiting further investigation, of which 1,136 are over six months old with none over 12 months old.

NHS Finance

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the financial position of primary care trusts that are significantly under their weighted capitation target; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Our analysis of the 2005-06 financial positions of national health service organisations has shown that there is no strong relationship between financial performance and any single factor, including distance from capitation target.
	A full report on 2005-06 financial performance is available in the Library.

NHS Finance

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will assess the effectiveness of the weighted capitation targets in addressing health inequalities in the NHS.

Andy Burnham: Tackling health inequalities is within the remit of all primary care trusts (PCTs). Those PCTs with the worst health and deprivation indicators, work to support public service agreement targets to narrow the health inequalities gaps in life expectancy, cardiovascular disease and cancer between their areas and the England average. To support this work, the weighted capitation formula takes account of deprivation.

Nurses

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost to public funds was of training a nurse in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The estimated average annual cost to public funds of training a nursing student in each year since 1997 is shown in the table, although the data has been collected on different basis thereby making comparisons difficult.
	
		
			   Cost per individualbursary or salary and tuition () 
			 1997-98 11,625 
			 1998-99 10,500 
			 1999-2000 11,000 
			 2000-01 13,000 
			 2001-02 12,850 
			 2002-03 13,690 
			 2003-04 14,710 
			 2004-05 15,000 
			  Notes:  1. 1997-98 and 2004-05 are forecasts (actual outturn was only collected from 1999 onwards and the last data collected was in November 2004 covering 2003-04 outturn).  2. Average bursary costs for nurses and midwives added to tuition costs from 2000-01 onwards.

Nursing and Care Homes

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) nursing and  (b) residential care homes there were in (i) the Stroud constituency and (ii) Gloucestershire in (A) 1996, (B) 2001 and (C) 2005.

Ivan Lewis: Information on the number of homes was collected by the Department for the years 1996 and 2001. Table 1 shows the numbers of residential and nursing care homes in Gloucestershire, as at 31 March, in 1996 and 2001. Data are not available at constituency level.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of residential and nursing care homes in Gloucestershire, as at 31 March 1996 and 2001 
			  Rounded numbers 
			  Type of home  1996  2001 
			 Residential(1) 200 305 
			 Nursing(2,3) 140 110 
			 Total homes(4) 345 415 
			 (1 )Residential data are for Gloucestershire unitary authority.  (2) Nursing data are for Gloucestershire health authority.  (3) Nursing data include general nursing homes, mental nursing homes and private hospitals and clinics.  (4) Totals may not equal the sum of parts due to rounding.   Sources: For 1996Department of Health RAC 5 and K036 returns. For 2001Department of Health RA and RH(N) returns. 
		
	
	The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) produces data on the number of care homes and places registered as at 31 March each year, beginning with 2003. There are some definitional differences between this data and that for the years up to 2001.
	I understand from the chair of CSCI that the numbers of residential and nursing care homes, as at 31 March 2005, in Gloucester and South Gloucester local authorities are as shown in table 2. Data are not available at constituency level.
	
		
			  Table 2: Numbers of registered care and nursing homes in Gloucester and South Gloucester local authorities, as at 31 March 2005 
			  Local authority  Gloucester  South Gloucester  Total 
			 Residential care 276 97 373 
			 Nursing 64 23 87 
			 Total 340 120 460 
			  Source:  CSCI registration and inspection database.

Ormskirk Hospital Site

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which outpatient clinics are delivered from the Ormskirk hospital site; and with what frequency each occurs.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally. It can be obtained directly from the Southport and Ormskirk Hospital National Health Service Trust.

Ormskirk Hospital Site

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the new Independent Sector Treatment Centre scheduled for the Ormskirk Hospital site will be available to provide care to the residents of  (a) West Lancashire and  (b) the North West.

Rosie Winterton: The Ormskirk Hospital site is one of several locations, named by the preferred bidder, from which services will be provided as part of the Cheshire and Merseyside electives surgery scheme, part of the next phase of the procurement in the independent sector treatment centre (ISTC) programme. The scheme is still currently being negotiated.
	As stated in The NHS in England: the operation framework for 2006/07, patient choice will be extended to include any national health service foundation trust and any nationally procured ISTC, and any other subsequently centrally accredited independent-sector providers.

Osteoporosis

Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice and assistance is made available to encourage GPs to take advantage through practice-based commissioning of programmes to identify patients at risk of osteoporosis; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: To maximise the benefits of practice based commissioning (PBC), the Department has resourced and put in place a comprehensive programme providing training, support, and guidance material for general practitioner (GP) practices and primary care trusts (PCTs).
	This includes publication of the document Practice based commissioning: early wins and top tips, which contains tips to support PBC and suggestions as to how it can be used to redesign care pathways. This publication is available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/12/82/74/04128274.pdf and has been issued directly to all GP practices.
	This document does not specifically encourage GPs to take advantage of programmes to identify patients for their risk of osteoporosis. However, the document does encourage GP practices to take the principles of the case studies featured and extend these to providing services tailored to a particular practice's local population.

Prescription Charges (Exemptions)

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the list of foods and medicines exempt from prescription charges for those with certain medical conditions will be reviewed.

Andy Burnham: Certain foods are listed in part XV of the Drug Tariff in order that they may be prescribed. We have no plans to extend the existing list of medical conditions that give exemption from prescription charges.
	Prescription charges are currently being looked at by the Health Select Committee as part of its inquiry into national health service charges.

Waiting Time Target

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many category A projects have so far been established, as described on page 26 of her Department's document 18 Week Patient Pathway: Delivery Resource Pack; where they have been established in each case; for which medical procedures they have been established; what conclusions have so far been drawn from the projects; when she expects the projects to conclude; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  which pioneer sites to assess the prospects for delivery of the 18 week waiting time target amongst category B procedures deemed high risk have so far been established; on which procedures they are concentrating in each case; where they are situated; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The areas of greatest challenge identified in the delivery resource pack in relation to 18 weeks are orthopaedics, endoscopy, echocardiography and audiology. National projects are required in these category 'A' areas.
	In orthopaedics, a coordinating group of key stakeholders has been established, and a musculoskeletal services framework was published on 12 July 2006 on the Department's and the 18 weeks' websites. Work continues to identify and then tackle local performance levels.
	In endoscopy, work is well under way to identify performance levels and best practice, building on the work begun by the NHS Modernisation Agency. In cardiology, the project is identifying those tests that present the greatest challenge in terms of intervention rates and performance, including echocardiography.
	In audiology, most adult hearing services are accessed directly from primary care, and are therefore provided outside of the pathways covered by the 18-week target. However, waiting times for adult hearing services are too long and do need to be tackled, not least to ensure that referrals to such services are not diverted via ear, nose and throat departments (which are covered by 18 weeks) to benefit from the 18-week maximum wait that will apply by December 2008. Work is under way at official level, with stakeholders to be involved, and a plan will be published in due course, following ministerial approval.
	In terms of the high risk, category 'B' areas, the eight 18-week pioneer health communities will soon turn their attention from developing the mechanisms by which whole pathways will be measured to redesigning pathways in the high risk areas identified in the Delivery Resource Pack. The table shows the specialties being addressed by each of the pioneers. Magnetic resonance imaging, computerised tomography and non-obstetric ultrasound diagnostic tests are being addressed as part of these pathways.
	
		
			  Pioneer health community  Delivery solutions being addressed 
			 East Kent General surgery, gastroenterology, orthopaedics, cardiology 
			 Huntingdonshire Orthopaedics, endoscopy, neurology, dermatology 
			 North Nottinghamshire Gastroenterology, gynaecology, rheumatology, diabetes 
			 Devon and Exeter Cardiology, oral surgery, diabetes, plastic surgery 
			 Gateshead Orthopaedics, cardiology, rheumatology 
			 King's Orthopaedics, audiology, respiratory medicine 
			 North East Sector of Greater Manchester Trauma and orthopaedics, general surgery, general medicine 
			 South Bedfordshire Urology, ears, nose and throat, cardiology, ophthalmology

Waiting Time Target

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what challenges to delivering the 18-week waiting time target have so far been identified by her Department; and which of these challenges are being used in the campaign to highlight key challenges from May;
	(2)  what key messages have been agreed to support delivery of the 18-week waiting time target, as stated on page 22 of her Department's document, 18 Week Patient Pathway: Delivery Resource Pack, published on 10th May 2006.

Andy Burnham: Key areas of challenge to delivering the 18-week waiting target were outlined in section two of the publication, Tackling Hospital Waiting: The 18 Week Patient PathwayAn Implementation Framework. Since publication, national projects have begun in orthopaedics and endoscopy, and the national project in cardiology is in development. Work is under way at official level on an audiology action plan and this will be published in due course following ministerial approval. The 18-week programme team and the Department have highlighted the key challenges at numerous events in the past few months, including the NHS Confederation Conference. The team will shortly be holding events in each of the new strategic heath authorities to help prepare for delivery.
	This publication, which is available in the Library and on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/13/46/69/04134669.pdf also sets out the key messages for all groups involved in the delivery of 18 weeks, including the key actions required by various parties.